Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

Why are teeth a luxury item in Ireland? Why are they considered an accessory? Everything about our dental system implies that. On one hand, one in six adults over the age of 54 in this country has no natural teeth. The figure for Japan is 15%. It is just completely different. We have a historic and systemic unequal dental system whereby if people are rich and able to pay, they can keep their teeth and keep them straight and white, and if they are poor, they cannot. Then, we have so many more people who have VHI, which does not cover, for example, periodontal treatment at all and yet the way most people lose their teeth is from gum disease. It does not cover orthodontics. Every parent in this country knows that when their child reaches a certain age, they will be coughing up four grand for braces. Why is that? Teeth and gums are essential for a person's overall health. They are also essential for people's self-esteem and that is important as well.

This idea that people should go to Turkey and get a loan or save up the money to restore their teeth is not generally done. Maybe celebrities do it, but for most people, it is to get implants to keep their teeth so they can actually smile and so that they do not feel self-conscious. Most important, however, it is related to people's cardiac health. A person I know who is waiting for a heart transplant had to get all of his teeth removed recently because it would be too injurious to his prospects not to do so.

Why do we have a dental system where very few elite people can qualify and provide care under the private system and then there is hardly anybody in the public health system? It really is shocking. I welcome this motion. We need much more discussion on this topic. I welcome the fact it has been tabled.

A person might pay tax in this country, and this is where the injustice of the tax system comes in. On paper, we have a so-called egalitarian tax system, but in practise, we get nothing for it. I went to France some years ago and had a dental problem and I got treated immediately in the public system for €50. I would be waiting so long in Ireland for that, and it would probably cost thousands of euro.

According to the HSE, there are 7,000 children in Ireland waiting for urgent dental care, and 1,100 children have been waiting more than four years. In 2003, 104,000 children missed out on school dentistry checks at which problems can be picked up early. In 2024, 2,000 children were facing a waiting list of over four years for orthodontic treatment. We know most people do not even bother putting their child on the public list. They just save money or get a loan or whatever, and that goes into the hands of private providers.

The prices for dentistry have increased dramatically in the past five years by 20%. It has led to what the Irish Dental Association has called a divide between rich and poor on affording care for their teeth. For dentistry that requires a general anaesthetic for children with disabilities or anxiety, the waiting list is even longer; it is well over two years. The Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, noted that the majority of dental care is private and paid out of pocket. The fact is this is being put down by professional associations in the area to a lack of investment in public dental services.

We need massive investment to create a public dental system. We also need to recruit and to open up the recruitment system. For example, we have a situation at the moment where only UCC and Trinity College Dublin provide places. My understanding is that a number of places are for international students so that the colleges can avail of increased fees. The problem with that is that it means those people may not stay and work in the public system. We need to open dentistry up, not just to those who achieve 625 points, which is massively unattainable for most people, and make it something that ordinary young people can get into.

Teeth are not luxury item. They are not an accessory. They are absolutely essential for people's health, and it is time that Ireland started recognising that fact.

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