Dr. Joe Green:

It is a lot but dental care is a public health issue and remains so.

Dental decay follows a socioeconomic gradient, in that we tend to see it more in lower socioeconomic groups than higher ones. We would like children to be seen at a much earlier age, particularly in order to identify those who are at greatest risk of dental decay, or who may have a medical condition that would make treatment risky in itself. Prevention is therefore of even more value for them. That treatment risk could also include an assessment of their risks of being treated under general anaesthetic or sedation. We would seek to avoid the worst possible treatment scenario, where someone is in a hospital for treatment for what is, as Professor O'Connell said, largely a preventable condition. In transitioning to a revised system, the HSE's priorities would be to try to protect the strengths of the existing service, including a same-day or following day response for anyone who is in pain. If the HSE service were involved, we would strive to continue to provide that. That would be our plan, and it would be an upfront requirement in any contracted situation. However, that might not be the easiest thing to put in place. We have yet to reach the starting point for all of that, and there would need to be extensive consultation with prospective service providers, our own staff, the Department, and any other stakeholder which might be involved. Putting that in place would be a priority.