Dr. Joe Green:

-----in difficult circumstances. As the Deputy knows, they deal with children under 16 years of age and children and adults with special care needs. Sadly, for many children their first interaction with a dentist is as a consequence of having pain. We would like children to be seen at a much earlier age. If children have pain they attend our clinics and are dealt with by a highly skilled and well motivated staff who do a very good job in difficult circumstances.

Many people’s first experience of dentistry is quite difficult. It might come as a result of pain or trauma, possible loss of sleep or the onset of infection. No one, if he or she has symptoms, is in the best of form when he or she turns up at a dental clinic. The staff deal with that on a daily basis. Since the start of this meeting, probably 300 children experiencing pain have walked into dental clinics and private dental practices. There are in excess of 70,000 attendances for emergencies in the HSE service. That is quite a large quantum of service. We are very proud of the efforts our staff make to look after children. Not many of us look forward to having dental treatment. Clinical dentistry in young children requires a highly skilled and well motivated staff together with high standards of care, which is what we strive to provide. The same group of staff provide services for children and adults who require special care and they also provide treatment under general anaesthetic for children and adults in many of the hospitals.