Cuts to dental services in Northern Ireland "could prove fatal", it has been warned.
In an open letter to the permanent secretary of the Department of Health, the British Dental Association (BDA) said that NHS dentistry in the north "is in crisis".
There are fears that dental services could face collapse if cuts to the health service hit the sector.
The Department of Health said last month that it had been left £470 million short of its estimated needs for this financial year.
But the BDA said cuts would "devastate a service already on the brink".
In its letter to Permanent Secretary Peter May, the organisation outlines "bleak evidence from the front line" of patients struggling to access NHS dentists, and of lengthy waiting lists.
"If the axe falls on dentistry - indeed if there is a failure to provide needed investment - this service faces collapse," it says.
"The price will be paid by patients across Northern Ireland."
NHS dentistry in Northern Ireland is in crisis.
— BDA (@TheBDA) May 12, 2023
From the high street to hospitals investment is needed.
✂️Cuts could prove fatal for a service so many depend on.
✉️Our open letter to the Permanent Secretary of the @healthdpt pic.twitter.com/boqgkzY9J4
It also says in the absence of a government at Stormont, it is calling on MLAs to "step up and protect the future of NHS dentistry across Northern Ireland".
A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the BBC that the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant and enduring impact on dental services.
A spokesperson said "significant and unprecedented financial support" had been provided to practices throughout the pandemic, with approximately £95.5m to help increase levels of health-service activity.
They added that continuing support was available and a pilot scheme had been launched to help non-registered patients with an emergency or urgent dental condition.
Meanwhile, dentists in the Republic have voiced concerns amid figures revealing one in six people now waiting over three months for dental appointment.
A survey by the Irish Dental Association (IDA) also shows that over half of patients are being forced to wait longer than three months for specialist care which includes orthodontic and oral surgery.
Dentists are this weekend due to gather for a conference in Kilkenny where they are expected to hold a vote of no confidence in the Irish Minister for Health.
Eamon Croke from the Irish Dental Association said: "The stark results of this survey and the resounding response from our members substantiate our concerns surrounding the ongoing issues facing the sector, which are acting as significant barriers to patients who require access to adequate and efficient oral healthcare.
“The fact that an unprecedented 93 per cent of dentists say that they would not sign up to the medical card contract in its current form even with the promise of a new scheme is indicative of a model which is not fit for purpose and directly impacts on the most vulnerable in our society."
