An improvement in Irish people’s teeth, rather than funding cutbacks, explains why fewer fillings and extractions are being carried out, according to the Health Service Executive.
The HSE said a fall in the take-up for fillings and extractions over the past two years may be the result of “ongoing improvements” in oral health among adults.
It was responding to criticism from the Irish Dental Association, which blamed the declining trend in treatments on cutbacks in State funding.
Dental patients are being forced to take antibiotics for prolonged periods because of cuts to preventive treatments, according to the Irish Dental Association.
The number of eligible patients under the Dental Treatment Services Scheme has risen 17 per cent since 2009, but the number of treatment carried out is down 20 per cent, according to a report published at the association’s annual conference in Galway.
Cuts to the scheme mean it is essentially an emergency care only scheme with patients entitled to an annual exam, two fillings and unlimited extractions, it says. The association argues the scheme is unfit for purpose and needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
According to the report, the number of cleanings has fallen by 97 per cent and the number of protracted periodontal treatments (for gum disease) has fallen by 80 per cent, while the number of fillings has fallen by over 33 per cent.
On the other hand, surgical extractions have increased by 53 per cent and routine extractions have increased by over 14 per cent.
The HSE said it spends €75 million on the scheme and high-risk and vulnerable adults are entitled to a broader range of treatments. A new oral health policy is being considered and this will give particular consideration to the needs of the most vulnerable, the very old and the very young.
Meanwhile, nine out of 10 dentists have had to prescribe multiple antibiotics to medical card patients on waiting lists, the association says. Some dentists report having issued up to five antibiotic prescriptions to a single patient.
There has also been a 38 per cent increase in the number of people with severe dental infections requiring hospital admission, the association has claimed.
“The HSE has effectively overseen the introduction of dental apartheid for the 37 per cent of the population who have a medical card,” the IDA says.
