BDA advice on dental x-rays was taken

BDA condemns call for young migrants to be tested

David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, has said mandatory teeth checks would reassure people the UK was not being exploited. But the BDA responded saying that said such checks would be unethical and that dental radiographs cannot accurately determine whether someone is under the age of 18 or not.

After rapidly opposing this idea, the British Dental Association (BDA) has since welcomed news that the Home Office has followed its advice - and ruled out unethical and ineffective x-rays to establish the age of child asylum seekers.

A number of unaccompanied children from the "Jungle" camp have arrived to join relatives in the UK - amid suggestions they could be adults trying to get in. The first children with links to Britain arrived this week, after French authorities ratified a list drawn up by the charity Citizens UK, which is working with the government to bring unaccompanied minors over from Calais. However, photographs of some of the children have been printed on the front pages of some national newspapers, along with headlines questioning their ages.

Mr Davies, chairman of the Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee said that one of the migrants arriving had "lines around his eyes and looks older than I am" He said: "If they are jumping on lorries, they are not going to be adverse to lying about their ages. We should do the tests. We don't want to vilify anyone... but if we don't raise these questions we are not going to be able to help the people who need our help."

If they have no birth certificate, passport or other documentation, officials make an assessment of their age based on "physical appearance and demeanour".

  • In the year ending September 2015, 590 asylum applicants had their age disputed
  • Of those 574 were recorded as having an age assessment and 371 were found to be adults
  • Since 2006 there have been 11,121 age disputes. Of those, 4,828 were found to have been adults

A BDA spokesman said it was "vigorously opposed" to the use of dental X-rays to try to determine the age of asylum seekers. It's not only an inaccurate method for assessing age, but it is both inappropriate and unethical to take radiographs of people when there is no health benefit for them," he added. This was the advice that was taken.

Judith Husband, Chair of the BDA's Education, Ethics and the Dental Team Working Group said:
 
"We're pleased the Home Office has finally ruled out the use of dental x-rays on child asylum seekers. It draws a line under 10 years in which ministers have kept flirting with an eye-catching, but ultimately ineffective, policy.
 
"Dental x-rays were never going to be a silver bullet for verifying age. They aren't cheap, they aren't simple, and at the end of day they don't provide definitive results."
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