Medical card holders travelling 'unprecedented distances' to access dental treatment

Under the scheme, adult medical card holders can access a range of dental services and treatments such as an examination, two fillings in each calendar year and extractions as necessary.

Patients are travelling “unprecedented distances” to access dental treatments under a scheme for medical card holders, dentists have warned, while an invitation to meet with the Department of Health and the HSE to find solutions for the issue is still not forthcoming.

Irish Dental Association CEO Fintan Hourihan said members were “at a complete loss” as to why indications that health officials would soon invite the organisation for talks had not yet been acted upon, after it was again mentioned in the Dáil this week.