Irish Dentists Call for Sugar Tax to Go to Dental Services

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The Irish Dental Association has urged the government to put any money raised from a proposed sugar tax towards dental services.

Figures show that there has been a significant decrease in the number of people attending regular dental appointments, after cuts were made in the PRSI and medical card schemes. Representatives from the IDA say that there has been a considerable reduction in the amount of treatments carried out on medical cardholders. In comparison to 2009, figures from the first 8 months of this year show a decrease of 63% in the number of fillings and 57% for denture treatments.

Recent figures also show that the number of extractions has decreased by 30 percent and oral examinations have also declined by more than 30 percent. The PRSI scheme has also been cut considerably and taxpayers are paying the same amount for a reduced service, with the only benefit of the scheme being one annual check-up. Fintan Hourihan, chief executive of the IDA, claims that the schemes provided the foundation for oral health policy and they must be restored in order to improve standards of oral health and enable people to access dental services.

The Department of Health is currently considering a tax on sugary foods and drinks to try and tackle the problems of obesity and oral diseases and the IDA is urging the government to use the money raised by this tax to improve dental services.

 

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