Delegates from community dental services debated and passed a wide range of motions on topics such as deteriorating terms and conditions of service; non-consolidated pay awards; time off for trade union work; and lack of progress on contract reform in Northern Ireland.
The depth of unhappiness in the service was demonstrated by representatives passing a motion for the first time agreeing that industrial action should not be ruled out in future disputes.
Conference chair Linda Dunlop said:
"In all my years as a dentist I have never seen such strength of feeling across our profession, and today's ground breaking resolution reflects that. This is not about money, but making sure that our patient services are protected.
"Our delegates are not militants. They are consummate professionals, determined to leave all options open when it comes to resolving future disputes. Colleagues working for some of the most vulnerable patients are feeling the squeeze. We owe it to our patients and our profession to keep industrial action on the table in order to protect these vital services."
The motion on industrial action resolves:
“We ask conference to vote to override a previous conference motion on industrial action and to consider each opportunity on its merits. If there are issues which aggrieve salaried dentists on a national level, perhaps we should take a leaf out of Unison and Unite’s book and strike for a couple of hours. We feel this would make our views known whilst only causing the same disruption to patients as a staff meeting.”