Thousands face long-term dental problems due to row

THOUSANDS of children are facing long-term dental problems because of the failure of the HSE to resolve a big row regarding the provision of orthodontic services in Ireland, a leading consultant has warned.

As the Irish Dental Association launched a sports safety campaign yesterday, Ted McNamara, a senior consultant orthodontist with HSE West, claimed a recent HSE report would do nothing to alleviate the shortage of orthodontists across the country.

Orthodontics is the discipline of dentistry that deals with repairing crowded or crooked teeth.