More than 1,500 Cork and Kerry teens are being forced to wait up to three years for vital public dentist appointments — a situation the HSE claims is a success story.

Schoolchildren are being denied vital dentist treatment for as long as three years because of HSE cutbacks and chronic staff shortages, senior politicians have been told.

The union representing dentists has said staff shortages in the public health sector are affecting patient care.

HUNDREDS of thousands of people are going without proper dental care because of a “massive” decline in dental treatments provided to medical card patients, the Irish Dental Association (IDA) warned yesterday.