Medical card holders need proper routine dental care

The two most common diseases of the teeth and gums are caries (decay) and periodontal disease (gum disease).

These destructive diseases are mainly caused by an accumulation of dental plaque. This plaque must be removed to maintain dental health.

However, in the DTSS (The medical card scheme) the HSE have removed routine access to this necessary treatment. Thus, the irrational situation exists whereby the HSE will pay dentists to extract teeth but will not pay for a yearly cleaning of the teeth and gums and instruction by the dentist on how to prevent both decay and gum disease.