Need for at least 20 emergency dental centres – Dental Association

A group representing dentists has called for the establishment of at least 20 dental centres across the country to provide emergency treatment during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Irish Dental Association (IDA), which represents 2,000 public and private dentists across the country, is currently liaising with the Department of Health and HSE on its proposals.

The IDA said the establishment of dedicated regional centres would enable dentists to treat patients while minimising the risk of infection and would represent a “novel” solution to provide emergency care to patients.

IDA CEO Fintan Hourihan, said: “We have been speaking to the HSE and we understand that work is being done to develop that type of idea but nothing is confirmed or announced at this stage.

We certainly have raised it with the Department of Health and HSE. We understand the HSE is actively considering it."

The call for a regional network of emergency centres follows criticism of guidance issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) last week which stated that routine dentistry remains safe.

In a joint submission the IDA, Dental Council and Dublin and Cork Dental Schools questioned the advice given by the HPSC and this week confirmed that the majority of dentists have closed or scaled back services in order to protect both patients and staff.

“Dentists are taking a safety first approach and a lot of them are saying that on a precautionary basis they’re restricting the range of treatments provided,” Mr Hourihan told the Irish Examiner.

“We’ve a large number of dentists saying they would be happy to volunteer to work in those emergency centres. People who have their own clinics but have closed them or restricted their services,” he explained.

The IDA said the regional centres would not only maximise the protection of staff and patients but also make more efficient use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which is in short supply.

Mr Hourihan said: “We have very limited emergency facilities in dental hospitals in Dublin and Cork. They can’t cope with all of the emergencies that would otherwise be going into the regular family dental practice."

He added that while the IDA could not quantify the demand for emergency services it envisaged that at least 20 such centres would be required across the country.

Mr Hourihan said: “Realistically we would say there would have to be at least 20 of these centres across the country. You wouldn’t be far off to have a requirement for one in every county."

The IDA also advised patients to contact their dentist directly if they have any dental issues or concerns.

Mr Hourihan said: “Our advice to anyone with dental issues is to make contact with their own dentist in the first instance who will provide guidance on whether it is something that can wait or requires further referral.”

The HSE was not available for comment at the time of going to press.