Children Waiting Up To A Year For Tooth Extractions in Ireland Hospital
Some children in Ireland are waiting up to a year to have teeth extracted in hospital, according to the Irish Dental Association.
The IDA claims that cuts in benefits have contributed to deterioration in standards of oral health, which has resulted in a backlog of cases involving children who need teeth removed under general anaesthetic in hospital. According to the IDA, some children are waiting up to 12 months for treatment.
The IDA claims that up to 10,000 children under the age of 15 years old are admitted to hospital for dental treatment each year. The vast majority of these cases are completely preventable. This figure represents a hospitalisation rate of 5 times that in England.
Anne Twomey, president of the IDA, said that most cases could have been prevented with effective dental care and early treatment. However, government cuts have made it difficult to access dental treatment and affected the families who benefited most from support in previous years.
Dr Twomey has now called on the government to act swiftly to remove the backlog before cases become more serious and more extensive treatment is required.
The IDA claims that the closure of the walk-in clinic at St James’ Hospital has contributed to increased waiting times in Belfast, with some children now waiting a year for treatment. In other parts of the country, similar issues face many children, with waiting times around 6-9 months.
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