'We fought for years': Mother warns disability dental care in Ireland is worse than ever

A leading dentist working at Cork University Dental Hospital warned that the service offering dental care under general anaesthetic is “grotesquely under-resourced”. File photo

The mother of an autistic man who spent 18 months trying to get dental care for him has warned that access to services is worse now than when her son was born.

It comes as a leading dentist working at Cork University Dental Hospital warned that the service offering dental care under general anaesthetic is “grotesquely under-resourced” around the country.

Children and adults with disabilities, as well as people with severe anxiety or other health issues, need this service for essential dental procedures such as extractions, fillings, or other treatments. However, a severe shortage of resources is leading to distressing delays for patients and their families.

Sandra Bryne’s son is 39 and lives in a residential centre where he receives “brilliant” care, but she is speaking out to highlight gaps in health services around him.

“We fought for years for every single thing, and now you listen to what’s going on around the whole country and I think it’s worse it’s got,” she said.

She added: “in his 40 years, the system is actually worse now.” 

In March 2023 Stephen and his parents were told he needed three fillings while having a dental check-up. 

“My son would have very challenging behaviour, so he would need a general anaesthetic because he has to be asleep for it. There’s just no other way around it,” she said.

“The dentist did try but my son got very upset with him. When he’s upset he self-harms, then he would lash out and then he gets very upset and apologetic to everybody.” 

It took a month before the Waterford family got a review with the HSE. 

He was then referred to Aut Even private hospital in Kilkenny.

“That referral was made and he got a date – wait for this now – the 7 of May 2024,” she said. “He was in pain.” 

She was told five people, including children, would have similar care that day.

General anaesthetic is given in hospitals with a full team and beds available in case anything goes wrong.

However, just days before the appointment in 2024, she recalled: “I got a phone call at 5.10pm to tell me it was cancelled.” 

In desperation, Sandra and her husband began writing to local TDs and contacting dentists everywhere to no avail.

“In the meantime, a year has passed, he was self-harming, and you could see when he was trying to eat he was putting the food to the side of his mouth,” she said.

They were put in touch with Dr Gillian Smith, a dentist in Bray who works with patients who have special needs in dentistry.

She can do treatment under sedation, not general anaesthesia. 

However, when she tried this with Stephen, who attended with his care workers, it did not work ou,t and he became quite upset. 

Dr Smith was eventually able to arrange his care in Mallow.

“That was on the 2nd of November 2024, so all in all, it took 18 months,” Sandra said.

She was distressed by another case in the media last week. 

The parents of Tiernan Power Murphy, 6, went public with their shock at a ten-year wait for teeth extraction under general anaesthetic.

Just days after that, a spokesman said the HSE’s Dublin and South East regional orthodontics service was reviewing services locally. 

This includes renewing an agreement with Aut Even hospital for orthodontics but it is not yet clear what other services will be covered.

Ms Byrne said: “Think about that, it’s over a year ago since Stephen’s was cancelled. How many other children have not been able to be looked at since then?

“That little boy whose parents had to go out (publicly), they were (discussed) in the Dail. 

"He self-harms as well. I don’t know how long more his mother could have coped.”