'HSE failing' thousands of children in Laois and Offaly insists public representative

The crisis in screening children for dental health problems has worsened and will cause serious problems later in life according to a Laois Offaly TD who has laid the blame squarely at the door of the HSE.

Sinn Féin's Brian Stanley issued a statement in the wake of figures provided to his party. They show that the total amount of sixth class pupils in Laois/ Offaly awaiting routine check-up is 2,872.

He added that in Laois there are 1560 children with 1312 in Offaly. This compares with an all-time high of 2507 last March -  an increase of 365 children.

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“The HSE is failing children by not providing them with their statutory entitlement of routine dental screening in schools...The crisis continues to deteriorate, and figures received by Sinn Féin gives a county by county breakdown. 

"Children are not getting their first assessment until they attend secondary school. I am aware that some are waiting up to the age of 14 years and older and are in second year in post primary school. Nationally, there are 100,000 children waiting on appointments," he said.

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"The Minister and the HSE need to accept that this scheme is broken. The absence of treatment for children will lead to far more serious dental and general health issues in later life,’’ he said.