Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 28 March 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

State Dental Schemes: Discussion

10:40 am

Photo of Catherine ByrneCatherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the good work done on the ground by many dentists in local and primary care health centres. The availability of dental treatment at primary care centres has made a difference for young children. I agree with all that has been said about orthodontic services. In 1999 when I first entered politics, I was on the former Eastern Regional Health Authority when the waiting list time for orthodontic treatment was six and a half years. We have come some way but I am still concerned about waiting lists. Some children look different to other children in the classroom because of their teeth and, accordingly, it can affect them. The waiting time for treatment should be only a few months.

Hygiene begins at home and parents are the sole educators in this regard. I agree it is lacking in some households. My granddaughter who is two and a half brushes her teeth after she gets dressed every morning simply because she sees her mother doing it. As Dr. Bolas said, what parents do will be followed by their children. I do acknowledge that in poorer areas where people have less money there are problems.

I was not aware of the oral cancer awareness day. I have met several people in my area who had oral cancer and the disfiguration of their faces is shocking. Are more men affected than women and what age group is affected? How many children coming from schools actually attend their appointments? When I was bringing my children up, I always put a reminder for the date for a dentist appointment in a prominent place. I am concerned, however, that many parents miss their children's appointments. How much does a dentist receive for a check-up for a primary schoolchild? Is there a set fee?

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