Dentists warn of 'clear divide' between people accessing private dentistry and those in public care

Dental screening in schools was also missed by almost half the children eligible due to a critical shortage of dentists.

There is now “a clear divide” between people who can afford private dentistry and those facing delays in public care, the Irish Dental Association (IDA) has warned.

Children and adults with disabilities waiting for care under general anesthesia face delays of two years or more, including in areas across Munster.

Dental screening in schools was also missed by almost half the children eligible due to a critical shortage of dentists.

Dentists say that scheme for adult medical card holders has “effectively collapsed": the scheme is down 800 dentists compared to 2012 despite the population of Ireland surging by 15% since then.

The two dental schools in Cork and Dublin are also not producing enough graduates to fill staffing gaps. 

The demand for more dentists is such that over 1,000 applications for 20 places were received by a new dental school opening in Dublin this year, according to IDA chief executive Fintan Hourihan. 

"There’s a clear divide between people who have the option of going privately and people who would otherwise rely on State-funded assistance to see private dentists," Mr Hourihan said. 

Funding cuts

A key issue is the under-funding of services since the recession years, he added.

The IDA pointed to a cut in State spending on dental care for PRSI and medical card patients amounting to €800m between 2009 and 2023.

“There’s been a downward trend in funding,” he said.

“And with the medical card in particular, it’s becoming harder for patients to see a dentist — they have to wait longer, travel further.” 

Dentistry has “never gone back to the spending levels that were there in 2009”, he added.

In 2023, 104,000 school children missed out on school dentistry checks where problems can be picked up early.

Earlier this year, the Irish Examiner highlighted a crisis in access to general anaesthesia for children and adults with disabilities. 

Mr Hourihan said there has been no changes despite efforts by the HSE to boost services. One barrier is a shortage of consultant anaesthetists.

“The west of Ireland is probably one of the best for this, and they have a two-year waiting list,” he said.

"In the east and in the south I believe it is considerably in excess of three years, the last time I checked. These are very vulnerable children and adults," he added. 

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IDA president Will Rymer called for the state’s new oral health policy —  Smile agus Sláinte — to be backed by funding. The three-year oral health implementation plan is included in the Programme for Government. 

“We are calling on the Government to fully fund oral health services in order to make up for a lost decade in dental care, representing a running deficit of €800m in investment,” he said.

“The failure of consecutive Governments to fully fund oral healthcare services has only increased the outstanding burden of treatment needed across the country.” 

Dentists want to see a system which values prevention as much as treatment, he urged, adding this needs to be accessible to everyone. 

“Under the current system, there is a widening gap between those who can afford to access dentistry by private means and those who are left at the mercy of a public system which is underfunded and not fit for purpose,” he warned.