Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)

Many of the issues have been addressed by my colleagues. I thank the Fine Gael Party for pushing for this motion to be taken today. We definitely need more college places, more dentists, more dental nurses and more dental hygienists. A wee girl in Donegal applied three times to UCC to get onto a dental hygiene panel but was turned down because only ten places were available. Only ten places were available at Trinity College too. We need to set up more courses for the young people who want to study dentistry.This girl is talking about going to England to do the course. Her family are devastated because she is the heart and soul of the family. She will be away for three years, but if she stayed in Ireland to do the course, she would be able to be home at the weekends.

Taking retired dentists back into the schools would be great. I firmly believe that if we teach children how to do it when they are young, they will follow through in life. It is like gardaí going into schools to talk about seatbelts. If I got in the car without putting on my seatbelt, my wee daughter would be the first one to reprimand me.

I would love to support Senator Byrne’s proposal for a mobile dentistry unit, especially for people in nursing homes. The Minister of State has responsibility for older people. I do not have to tell him but since we joined the Seanad in March, I have dealt with two people in nursing homes who were trying to access dentistry after their dentures broke but who were finding it very hard to get anyone in. These people carried this country for years. The least they deserve is a visit from the dentist twice or three times a year to make sure their teeth are okay. We do not want them feeling any more pain.