Dáil debates
Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Dental Treatment Services: Motion [Private Members]
3:40 am
Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Over 200,000 children were eligible for school dental screenings last year but only half were actually seen. The other half, amounting to more than 100,000, were left behind. It is not an isolated failing; it is part of a wider collapse in public dental services – a collapse that is hitting families hard, especially those without the means to pay privately. Even medical card holders are struggling to find a dentist, let alone get an appointment.
In Waterford, the picture is especially stark. Staffing for children's dental and orthodontic care has halved since 2022, according to figures released to me in response to a parliamentary question. These are not abstract figures; they reflect the reason children are waiting in pain. The Minister, other representatives in Waterford and I have met some of the families and helped them to gain access to care, but families should not have to go on radio or to their local TD to get very basic care for their children. The statistics point to why children are left waiting in pain and are missing school. When they can get to school, they cannot concentrate. They are losing out on parts of their education and suffering avoidable health problems that get worse while this issue is not addressed.
Half of all children due school dental checks last year were not seen. In Waterford, the situation is much worse. The staff number has halved since 2022. We are without a senior dentist in Waterford and there is no full-time orthodontist in place. Children are waiting in pain while services collapse around them. The Government's failure to act on this is hurting families and it needs to end.
We know how critical second-, fourth- and sixth-class screenings are for early detection. When children are missed, small problems become major. In regions like the south east, which now has the second highest number awaiting orthodontic care, the crisis is only deepening. The number of dentists providing care to medical card patients has fallen by 200 in just eight years. In Dungarvan in particular, but also in other parts of County Waterford, it is next to impossible for a medical card holder to get a dentist, much less an appointment. The service is being hollowed out and the HSE has admitted it cannot manage the preventative care backlog. When will the Government act? When will recruitment bans be lifted and proper funding be delivered to restore services in Waterford and across the rest of the State? When will the contract be agreed with dentists so medical card patients can get access to much-needed dental care services?
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