IDA condemns Irish government’s child oral health policy
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- Published: Monday, 02 November 2015 07:43
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The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has reported that 10,000 children under 15 are being hospitalised every year for dental extractions under general anaesthetic in the Republic. The IDA says figures are an indictment of a ‘slash and burn’ oral health policy. However, Health Minister Leo Varadkar said that the figure seemed high. He believed there were 3,600 admissions to hospital.
The IDA says that the figures are up to five times higher than in the UK. Waiting times for young children with chronic dental infections are now up to 12 months. The Association has described the revelations as a ‘national disgrace’ and an indictment of the slash and burn policy of the previous and current government to oral health policy.
The President of the IDA Anne Twomey said thousands of young children with chronic dental infection, many of whom require multiple extractions are waiting up to twelve months for treatment. She commented: “Why are thousands of our young people undergoing the trauma of hospitalisation for multiple dental extractions? Ninety five per cent of these cases would have been avoidable if they had been detected and treated earlier. The reason they weren’t is because of Government cuts to family dental supports since 2010, the constant undermining of what had been a highly effective schools screening service and the fact that too many of our young people have a poor diet containing too much sugar”. Dr Twomey said the second question which needed to be addressed was why are young people with serious infections being forced to wait between 6 and 12 months for treatment. She urged the HSE to act before a tragedy occurred.
However, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar told a morning TV programme that the figure seemed high. He said he believed there were 3,600 admissions to hospital, not the 10,000 quoted, and the 3,600 figure may be an over estimate.
Sinn Féin Senator Kathryn Reilly said there needs to be more funding to ensure children's dental health is looked after. "The IDA has credited government cuts to family dental supports since 2010 as the cause of children having to be hospitalised to have teeth removed," Senator Reilly said. "These cuts combined with the constant undermining of what had been a highly effective schools screening service and the fact that too many of our young people have a diet containing too much sugar has meant that these services should be expanding not contracting. In order to make sure our children's dental health is looked after, the free dental care programme needs to be properly funded."
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