Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to this motion regarding dentistry services and thank the Social Democrats for bringing the motion forward. I fully support this motion and its calls for the Government to expand the capacity of public dental services for children and special care patients, reform the dental treatment service scheme, publish the dentists Bill and address the funding and capacity issues in dental education provision.

There is an ever-lengthening waiting list for vital dental treatments, as well as school screenings, yet there has been a significant decline in the number of dentists, as well as the number of oral hygienists and dental nurses available. The number of dentists has dropped by almost one quarter over the past 15 years and the Irish Dental Association has stated that at least 500 dentists are needed across the private sector and public service immediately because of the growing population and to replace those dentists who are due to retire. A past dean of the RCSI faculty of dentistry has also reiterated the fact that Ireland desperately needs more dentists and dental professionals, stating that currently, Ireland has 44 dentists per 100,000 of the population, while other European countries such as Germany and Italy have double that number. Reports have shown that Ireland has the fewest dentists out of 24 European countries and was bottom of a table measuring the proportion of general dentists to population.

It is clear that Ireland is lagging behind significantly and this is affecting many Irish people who are finding it extremely hard to access necessary dental care. A survey carried out by the Irish Dental Association in 2023 showed that one in six patients were waiting over three months for a routine appointment with their dentist, while more than half were facing delays of longer than three months for specialist care, including orthodontic and oral surgery. It has also been reported that less than half of children who should be seen under the school screening programme are actually seen, with children in some parts of the country facing a ten-year backlog in accessing the school dental screening programme. You would actually be finished school before you would see a dentist. This cannot be allowed to continue. It is in the interest of all Irish people, particularly children, for this backlog to be addressed urgently.

There is no way for this to be addressed without addressing the fact that at present, we have just two dental schools, in UCC and Trinity, producing just 80 dentists a year, approximately 50% of whom originate from the far east and Canada and who leave Ireland to return home once they graduate. Given the fact that we require at least 500 dentists immediately to deal with the backlog of people awaiting appointments, treatments and screening, it is clear that something more needs to be done and done now. I understand that there were plans for a new dental school, which have been paused due to funding constraints. Funding for this school needs to be prioritised, but the Government should also be looking at funding more dental schools throughout the country given this dental crisis. I would urge the Government to consider funding for a dental school in the north west. There is no way that we can address the severe recruitment and retention issues in the public dental sector, particularly in rural areas, without the establishment of a dental school in the north west. ATU has successfully launched many new courses for students since its establishment two years ago and it has made education so much more accessible for many in the west of Ireland. ATU should be supported in establishing a dental school to address the significant staff shortages and clinic closures that we are seeing throughout the north west and to help alleviate the current burden on the public dental service.

Some 27% of public service dentists are over the age of 55 and close to retirement. The Government needs to take drastic action and consider the solutions put forward by the Opposition today. The Government has to make more places available and we have to see more schools providing dentistry treatment. The reality is that only the elite can get in because there are so few places. By having more places, we will get more dentists and actually deal with the issues.

See this speech in context