Irish Examiner view: More dentists badly needed

Higher-level education 

The Irish Dental Association told the Oireachtas health committee that around 500 more dentists are needed across the public and private services.

While the eyes of the nation may be on the Public Accounts Committee as it investigates RTÉ’s spending, there are other committees at work in Kildare Street also.

Yesterday, one of those committees heard testimony which may be of more relevance to the country at large than the national broadcaster’s focus on flip-flops.

The Oireachtas health committee was told by the Irish Dental Association that almost 500 more dentists are needed across the private and public services — and those dentists are needed immediately because of the growing population, and to replace those dentists who are due to retire.

This is one of the less-obvious consequences of an increase in population, the pressure being placed on professional services.

That challenge has been recognised already: Last November, 20 colleges proposed to deliver new courses by as soon as 2024, with 19 seeking to expand their offerings, in response to a call from the Higher Education Authority to build capacity in dentistry, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary.

This is welcome because it should work to alleviate the shortage in dentistry and other fields, and it is also encouraging to see a geographical spread of colleges involved — the concentration of veterinary studies in just one college in the country, University College Dublin, is an example that should be avoided in this situation.

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However, it also appears that we can expect some short-term pressure in the dentistry sector if courses in this area — and others — can only be delivered next year.

Students beginning to study dentistry in 2024 may only reach the workforce later this decade, which is far from ideal when the Oireachtas committee was also told a backlog of almost 10 years in accessing services exists in parts of the country.

It is hard to argue with the assertion by Fintan Hourihan of the Irish Dental Association that the government does not prioritise oral health. That must change immediately.