The BDA Continues Its Fight Against ‘Unethical’ X-rays
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- Published: Tuesday, 12 April 2022 20:16
- Written by Chris Tapper
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The British Dental Association says it is going to continue to lobby against the introduction of the “Unethical and inaccurate practice” of using dental X-rays to assess the age of undocumented child migrants.
The BDA made its statement on the BDA News website following a debate in the House of Lords on the issue after Conservative MPs overturned a proposed amendment to the Immigration Act. The amendment would have required “The sign-off of the BDA and other relevant national bodies could introduce dental age checks,” BDA News said.
“The amendment, tabled by Paul Blomfield MP and supported by both Labour and the SNP, would have required the Government to consult with relevant medical and dental bodies before introducing any scientific methods of age assessment,” the BDA said. “It’s a result of our campaign opposing the rollout of these discredited checks.”
Conservative Lord Stewart of Dirleton, who is also the Advocate-General for Scotland told the Lords that there was no ‘appetite’ to use such checks "When there is no doubt of an asylum seeker’s age."
He said “Failure to ensure proper assessments are conducted on individuals whose age is doubted creates obvious safeguarding concerns. It can also create a plethora of risks to the most vulnerable, to children in our schools and care systems and to asylum seekers themselves.”
Lord Stewart said that the proposed amendment to the Immigration act would create “Numerous restrictions on our ability to use age assessments and risks, perpetuating the very real challenges within the current system.”
He also said the amendment would mean only local authority social workers would be able to undertake age assessments. He questioned the ability of ‘overburdened’ local authorities to produce consistent results, pointing out that there is “Significant variation between local authorities in experience, capacity and resource to undertake age assessments.”
The Government has stated that its intention is to establish a national age assessment board staffed with qualified social workers employed by the Home Office who specialise in age assessments.
“There is risk attached to assessing an age wrongly Of course, we understand that but the most controversial part of the amendments, the provisions in the bill regard on a nursing radiation from X rays of British Dental Association has expressed particular concern.”
Both Baroness Hamwee and Baroness Lister “Reiterated the unethical nature of using X-rays for determining age, quoting BDA evidence,” the BDA News website said.
“They insisted that – at the very least – a practising dentist must be included on the Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee, which will advise the Government on the accuracy and ethics of various scientific methods of age assessment.”
Baroness Lister of Burtersett told the Lords Chamber “I and others raised concerns voiced by the BMA, the BDA and others that the use of dental X rays in particular, where there is no clinical justification, is unethical.”
“Yet neither in committee nor report stage did the noble and learned Lord and the Minister really address this concern. Could you do so now please so as to provide some reassurance to these bodies and to us? In the Commons, the Minister agreed to take away the call for it to include a practising dentist. Is a minister in a position to give a commitment on that point today?”
Shadow Spokesperson for Home Affairs and Defence Lord Coaker also addressed the proposed amendment.
He said “What has been asked it seems to me is perfectly reasonable, perfectly moderate - that before a method (of age assessment) is approved as somehow being scientific, advice is taken by experts in the field. And it’s remarkable that actually that these concerns have to be raised.”
Chairman of the General Dental Council Lord Harris of Haringey also spoke up against the use of dental age checks, BDA News said.
“He questioned whether migrants undergoing such checks would not be under duress to agree to them, and warned that for a dentist, “to carry out a dental X-ray without that free consent is unethical and against all professional standards.”
In October 2016, the Home Office had previously publicly ruled out the use of dental X-rays to assess the age of children arriving in the UK from Calais, criticising the approach as ‘inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical’ Alan Travis wrote in the Guardian.
The BDA has said it will continue its campaign to “Definitively rule out radiographic age tests.”
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