Children 'forced to wait until secondary school for first dental check'

The Irish Dental Association said: “Children who should be seen by a dentist in second, fourth and sixth class are having to wait until fourth year of secondary school for their first visit.”

Backlogs in dental screening services for schoolchildren are up to 10 years in some areas, the Irish Dental Association warned as they called for better supports for public dentistry.

The IDA has criticised what it said are Government plans to outsource public child and special needs dental care to “understaffed” private dental systems. Launching their workforce plan on Monday, dentists called on the Department of Health to “urgently address” delays.