Staff can't be found to solve 'dire' Laois dental 'crisis'

More dentists have to be trained if the 'dire' dental situation which has left 7,400 children in Laois waiting for checks is to be solved, according to Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley.

The TD issued a statement after information released by the Irish Dental Association (IDA) shows the extent of the problem. He also revealed that staff shortages means empty posts in Laois can't be filled.

Dep Stanley said the dental survey found that the number of public dentists has dropped by a quarter in 15 years from 330 to 254 in the State.

He said the IDA believes that the outsourcing of Child Dental care to an “overstretched and understaffed’. He added that the IDA want the expansion of the two Dental schools in Cork and Dublin

"I fully support them on this. We urgently need more public dentists,’’ he said.

The TD said it has had a big impact on people in his constituency, especially children. Dep Stanley said he asked a question in the Dáil and received an answer which he said highlights the crisis in schools in Laois.

“The situation regarding the school dental scheme in Laois has now reached crisis levels...There are a total of 7397 teenagers on the waiting list to see a primary school dentist. These young people have not seen a school Dentist or even received an examination under the School Dental Scheme.

“Under this scheme, children are meant to be seen in 2nd & 4th class in primary school, and this has been the practice going back over a number of decades. However, all those within the category mentioned above are in secondary school. Some of these teenagers are about to enter their final year in secondary school, " he said.

“I have been raising this dire situation in Laois on a regular basis with the HSE and successive Health Ministers, including Leo Varadkar when he was Health Minister," he added.

Dep Stanley claimed that the HSE has increased the number of dentists dedicated to the Laois School Dental Scheme from 1.2 to 3.2 whole time equivalent (equivalent to three full-time positions and a 4th person working one day per week).

However, staff cant be found.

"The HSE have had two recruitment campaigns in the last nine months, the most recent being three weeks ago to try and fill these positions. However, they inform me these have been mainly unsuccessful in attracting suitably qualified candidates.

"It is clear we need to train and recruit more people for positions as dental surgeons and currently this is not happening in sufficient numbers. The only way the chronic shortage in dental clinicians to work within these public schemes can be addressed on a long-term basic, is through proper workforce planning. Clearly, this has not been happening over the past 10 to 15 years.

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"It is time for the Government and the Department of Health to get it’s act together,’’ urged the Laois-based representative.