Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Independent and Parties Technical Group for tabling this motion. Access to the DTSS has worsened every year under the Government's watch. Since 2020, I have raised this issue here, along with many other Deputies from across the country. Data in 2020 showed us the extent of the serious and erroneous condition of dental services. Thousands of people are left in pain, some for over a year. Children with special needs and disabilities who need immediate dental treatment have to wait for months for an appointment. Included are many of those who require treatment under anaesthetic. Each of the four main towns in my county – Enniscorthy, Wexford, New Ross and Gorey – faces these unacceptable conditions daily.

There are 104,000 children on a waiting list for school dental screening out of an eligible 208,000. This is forcing parents to go private, costing them an arm and a leg, which they cannot really afford. Of the 810 dentists signed up to the DTSS, only 600 are active. Seven thousand children have been waiting for over a year for orthodontic treatment and more than 2,000 have been waiting for over two years. How is this being allowed to continue? How can anyone justify this or attempt to say things are okay? It is now time to publish the promised dental services plan. People need to be able to access the HSE emergency dental service when needed. However, this is not happening. That statement alone is an indictment of the lack of support and inability of future planning for orthodontic services that has left our citizens with a broken system and a totally inadequate DTSS, where 50% of dentists over the past ten years have rejected the scheme.

It is now time to fix the problem, not just stumble from year to year having the same debates and discussing the same motions. It is not fair to the thousands of families who are being screwed for the last cents in their pockets because of the inability of the Government to plan, take hold of the real problem and give the people of the country the dental service they deserve and are entitled to.

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