Sir, – Four out of five Irish adults are currently entitled to subsidised but limited dental care under the PRSI or medical card schemes. Since austerity measures were introduced in 2009, the one and only item of preventive treatment was removed from the list of treatments available. This treatment item previously allowed patients to have their teeth cleaned and to receive preventive advice from their dentist, without having to pay for it. In modern Ireland, medical card holders can have as many teeth as they like extracted but are not entitled to basic teeth cleaning and advice about how to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Similarly a PRSI insured worker is denied this basic treatment option along with a whole range of other treatments, despite having to pay the same if not greater PRSI contributions.
The effect of this unfair and illogical austerity measure has been to create more disease and increased cost to the State further down the road. There is also increasing scientific evidence about links between oral health and general health. Cure is not and never will be better than prevention. Now that the country’s finances have improved, it is high time that this short-sighted “cut” was reversed by Joan Burton and Leo Varadkar. – Yours, etc,
CONOR McALISTER,
Dublin 12.