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Irish Examiner
15-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Dentists warn of 'clear divide' between people accessing private dentistry and those in public care
There is now 'a clear divide' between people who can afford private dentistry and those facing delays in public care, the Irish Dental Association (IDA) has warned. Children and adults with disabilities waiting for care under general anesthesia face delays of two years or more, including in areas across Munster. Dental screening in schools was also missed by almost half the children eligible due to a critical shortage of dentists. Dentists say that scheme for adult medical card holders has 'effectively collapsed": the scheme is down 800 dentists compared to 2012 despite the population of Ireland surging by 15% since then. The two dental schools in Cork and Dublin are also not producing enough graduates to fill staffing gaps. The demand for more dentists is such that over 1,000 applications for 20 places were received by a new dental school opening in Dublin this year, according to IDA chief executive Fintan Hourihan. "There's a clear divide between people who have the option of going privately and people who would otherwise rely on State-funded assistance to see private dentists," Mr Hourihan said. Funding cuts A key issue is the under-funding of services since the recession years, he added. The IDA pointed to a cut in State spending on dental care for PRSI and medical card patients amounting to €800m between 2009 and 2023. 'There's been a downward trend in funding,' he said. 'And with the medical card in particular, it's becoming harder for patients to see a dentist — they have to wait longer, travel further.' Dentistry has 'never gone back to the spending levels that were there in 2009', he added. In 2023, 104,000 school children missed out on school dentistry checks where problems can be picked up early. Earlier this year, the Irish Examiner highlighted a crisis in access to general anaesthesia for children and adults with disabilities. Mr Hourihan said there has been no changes despite efforts by the HSE to boost services. One barrier is a shortage of consultant anaesthetists. 'The west of Ireland is probably one of the best for this, and they have a two-year waiting list,' he said. "In the east and in the south I believe it is considerably in excess of three years, the last time I checked. These are very vulnerable children and adults," he added. IDA president Will Rymer called for the state's new oral health policy — Smile agus Sláinte — to be backed by funding. The three-year oral health implementation plan is included in the Programme for Government. 'We are calling on the Government to fully fund oral health services in order to make up for a lost decade in dental care, representing a running deficit of €800m in investment,' he said. 'The failure of consecutive Governments to fully fund oral healthcare services has only increased the outstanding burden of treatment needed across the country.' Dentists want to see a system which values prevention as much as treatment, he urged, adding this needs to be accessible to everyone. 'Under the current system, there is a widening gap between those who can afford to access dentistry by private means and those who are left at the mercy of a public system which is underfunded and not fit for purpose,' he warned.
RTÉ News
15-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
State dental schemes see cuts of €800m since 2009
The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has said that State dental schemes have seen effective cuts of €800m since 2009. Its annual conference in Kilkenny heard that there is a widening gap between those who can and can not afford dental care. The association is seeking an overhaul of dental care for PRSI and medical card patients. Fintan Hourihan, IDA chief executive, said that a failure to keep spending at 2009 levels has meant a real cut in spending of over €800m between 2009 and 2023 amounting to a lost decade in oral care. He said that the poorest and most vulnerable have suffered the most and that a major investment is needed for the two State dental schemes, if lost ground is to be made up. Mr Hourihan said there has also been a significant hollowing out of public dental services, evidenced by the 104,000 school children denied dental screening appointments in 2023, due mainly to a shortage of public-only dentists. The HSE said that while the HSE's community dental service has been impacted by capacity challenges in recent years, it provided 106,964 targeted assessments to patients last year. It added that this year's National Service Plan provides for 15 additional clinical positions. The HSE said current access to free dental care for children is provided by the HSE Community Dental Service from within available resources, specifically an oral examination and necessary treatment for children at ages approximating to second and sixth class. In some cases, fourth class with emergency care is provided for children of all ages up to 16. A new three year oral health implementation plan for the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte, is expected to be launched soon, as promised in the Programme for Government. The HSE said this includes reform of services for medical card holders and for children among the priority actions.
