School dental screenings in Laois dopped by 95% in 2023 compared to 2017, Laois TD says

A Laois TD said it is “a scandal” to see 6,433 children waiting to be seen on the school dental scheme.  

Independent Laois TD Brian Stanley told the Dáil that the public dental health service is in crisis and there is a shortage of dentists in the private dental sector. 

“Dental and oral health have not been made the priority they need to be. For a relatively wealthy First World country, we have a Third World dental health system,” he said. 

Dep Stanley said untreated tooth decay was one of the most common health conditions which lead to other health complaints. 

“In recent years, insufficient attention and resources have been put in to prevention through education and public awareness campaigns. The cure comes too late, often and most likely in the form of multiple extractions and fillings,” said Dep Stanley. 

He spoke of the main public schemes such as the school dental scheme, the dental treatment services scheme, the treatment benefit scheme and orthodontics, for which there is a six-year waiting list for treatment. 

Dep Stanley said many children on the school dental scheme aren’t seen till second, fourth or even sixth class, with some waiting till secondary school. 

“In Laois, children are four years into secondary school when they are first seen. In Offaly, it is not much better, at three years. This is an absolute scandal in public health. In the case of Laois, according to HSE figures, 6,433 pupils are waiting on their first examination. As I said, for most of those pupils this will come six or seven years too late, and they will then have to wait for treatment,” he said. 

Dep Stanley said fewer children are now being screened every year. “ In Laois, the number of pupils screened and treated reduced from 4,300 in 2017 to 181 in 2023. Those are interesting figures.”

“The dental treatment services scheme for adults on medical cards is not available in many areas. For example, for people in Laois, only one dental practice currently takes clients under the scheme and it is based on the edge of Carlow town. The budget for the current scheme is €73 million this year,” said Dep Stanley. He noted this was a €6 million reduction on 2010 figures. He said the emergency dental health service was “almost impossible” to access. 

“The treatment benefit scheme for workers and retired workers, which is based on PRSI, only provides for examinations and cleaning. This puts low- and middle-income families at a disadvantage. I refer here to ordinary workers and their families who get no fillings or extractions under the scheme. Overall, 83% of dental treatment is funded by means of out-of-pocket payments,” he said. 

Dep Stanley said children with special needs and adults who require anaesthesia to access treatment suffer from a lack of services. There is a two-year waiting list in hospitals for such treatment.  “In the Dublin and midlands health region, there are 654 children and 102 adults on waiting lists for hospital treatment. That matter requires urgent attention” he continued. 

Dep Stanley said  the Irish Dental Association has highlighted the fact that 500 additional dentists are needed immediately to address the crisis in private practice and the public system.”

“The overall number of dentists working in both public and private practice has dropped by 23% in the past 15 years. Less than 10% of dentists are working in the public service. It is estimated that 120 additional dentists are needed just to maintain the very basic level of service we have at present. In 2023, 320 dentists were working in the public service. By 2025, according to the HSE, that had dropped to 294. In the context of private practice, the Irish Dental Association has found that due to workload, one quarter of dental practices are not taking on new adult clients and more than one third will not take on new children,” he said. 

“Unfortunately, dental health and dental treatment are often put on the back burner by families out of economic necessity. We all know how important it is that dental health is tackled early, namely when children are in second class in primary school. We also need to bring forward the promised scheme for children under seven. The €800 million cut in funding for those two public schemes over a 14-year period has had a significant effect,” he said. 

Dep Stanley urged the government to publish a “long promised” plan for dental services. He welcomed the opening of a new dental school in Dublin and said more still needs to be done. 

“We need to bring forward a plan for our dental health services, and a scheme for children under seven must be given priority. There must also be a significant increase in the number of dental school places in universities, particularly UCC and TCD, and additional funding for this. We need to facilitate the reintroduction of a structured mentorship programme to allow new graduates to gain work experience.” he stated.