Dr. Rory Boyd:

If we look at any epidemiological study that considers the incidence of decayed, missing and filled teeth, DMFT, which is an index we use, we see that socioeconomic status is a key factor. The original programme was put in place to target those vulnerable patients who would not otherwise avail of preventative care and oral hygiene information, which are the two cornerstones of treatment and prevention of disease over a lifetime. We have seen the continued demise of that system over the past number of years, as indicated by the 100,000 children missing out on dental appointments. The whole idea of the system was to target those vulnerable cases. Socioeconomic status is a massive factor. As Dr. Robins said, if provision gets pushed into private practice, the targeted approach is gone and those vulnerable patients will not be seen in private practice, regardless of whether it is helped by the State. That is why the HSE system was put in place in the first instance.