Irish Dental Association warns that school screening services are ‘non-existent’
The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has warned that school screening services are ‘non-existent.’
Children are supposed to have three routine screening checks during their time at primary school, but the association has suggested that many children are not able to access appointments until their fourth year in secondary school. Dentists are worried that this is contributing to more widespread oral health issues and delaying treatment for children and teens with extensive and severe decay.
The IDA claims that a shortage of staff and a lack of funding are causing children to slip through the net, with many needing extractions or root canal treatment during their teenage years. The number of public dentists has decreased by 22% since 2006.
The body has urged the government to boost recruitment urgently, suggesting that over 70 additional public service dentists are required to plug gaps and ensure that children have access to screening programmes.
Dentists have also raised concerns over waiting times for procedures carried out under general anaesthetic. Some children are waiting up to two years for treatment, with dentists forced to decide which patients need treatment first based on the severity of their condition. This means that some children who have already been waiting for months are bumped down the list.
Fintan Hourihan, chief executive of the IDA, said that it was “shameful” that children and other vulnerable individuals don’t have access to the treatment they need.
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