The Department of Health has been accused of "doctoring figures rather than treating patients" in its attempts to cut waiting lists for orthodontic treatment.
Donegal South West TD Mr Dinny McGinley highlighted the case of two Co Donegal children who risk being removed from the waiting list, after being on it for more than two years, because their cases are not deemed serious enough.
Mr McGinley said he believed a crisis point had been reached in the North Western Health Board (NWHB) area after it was confirmed the number on the waiting list had grown from 1,200 two years ago to 2,107 this month. The number who have been on the list for more than a year is 1,578.
Instead of ensuring more patients were being treated, efforts were now being made to "massage the figures", the Fine Gael TD said.
A letter sent to Mr McGinley from a consultant orthodontist with the NWHB outlined how the Department of Health had suggested that guidelines be changed to leave only those with the most severe problems on the waiting list. It states that the Department of Health had said the categorisation system now used "would probably indicate too high a treatment need at present and they have suggested modified guidelines".
Two children who would then be effectively removed from the waiting list are Joseph and Aidan Haughey from Teelin, Co Donegal.
Mrs Tina Haughey said she couldn't believe that after all this time, her sons could now be taken off the list. Joseph broke his front tooth in an accident at school five years ago. At first she was told that nothing could be done until he got older. "When I rang I was told they had got as far as 1996 on the waiting list, but my boys only went on it in 1998," she said.
Before Joseph's tooth can be repaired he will have to wear braces for 12 to 18 months, but she has given up hope that he will ever be called to get the braces fitted.
"To me Joseph is severely in need of help. His teeth are now growing in behind his front teeth, and he is getting to the age where he is starting to notice these things himself."
Mrs Haughey said the local dentist had advised her to go private. She has been told that it would cost about £2,000 just to get braces fitted. "I will probably have to pay. It's not easy to afford, but I couldn't leave him the way he is now."
Mr McGinley said the consultant's letter explained how because of "severe staff shortages" they were now only treating patients classified as category five from 1998. Both of the Haughey boys are classified as the less serious category four.
Mr McGinley said it wasn't good enough that when he asked a question in the Dail two years ago he was told more staff were being recruited and he has been given the same answer now. The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has told Mr McGinley that the NWHB is now trying to recruit staff from abroad.
"They say they are looking for more people but they don't seem to be making any headway. They will have to give it a higher priority because it has reached crisis point," Mr McGinley said.
An NWHB spokeswoman said "numerous efforts" had been made to recruit specialist orthodontic personnel but the number of specialist graduates was limited and "this difficulty" had led to an increase in waiting list numbers.
The board was pursuing options such as recruiting abroad. "Other efforts are also being pursued such as outsourcing in order to address some shortfalls in the provision of the service," she added. A specialist orthodontic registrar was appointed at the end of last year and the service is now provided by a consultant orthodontist who attends Sligo and Letterkenny hospitals and two specialists.