Concerns over lack of OOH dental care services

Doctors have called for improved access to emergency dental services amid a rise in patients seeking dental care from out-of-hours (OOH) GP services.

Ms Arlene Fitzsimons, Operations Manager at North-East Doctor on Call, said there is an urgent need for better access to OOH dental services.

Ms Fitzsimons said the co-op, which serves patients in Louth, Meath, Cavan, and Monaghan, has been receiving a high volume of calls for dental services.

“Doctors are not dentists. There is next to nothing in terms of services available for patients seeking emergency dental care during out-of-hours and over Christmas. It’s a huge problem,” said Ms Fitzsimons.

Southdoc Medical Director Dr Gary Stack said there were no public or private OOH dental care services for patients in Cork and Kerry. He described the gap in services as a huge concern for patients.

Mr Fintan Hourihan, CEO of the Irish Dental Association (IDA), said the collapse of the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) and the shortage of dentists participating in the scheme were the root causes of the problem.

Mr Hourihan said that dentists were leaving the scheme because of restrictions on care, insufficient patient care fees, and administrative challenges.

He said that the Association has been seeking a new scheme for many years.

Last year, around 100,000 primary school children missed out on dental screening due to the decline in the numbers of dentists employed by the HSE, which has dropped by 23 per cent since 2009, according to the IDA.

In June, outgoing Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the Government was committed to reforming dental services, including the DTSS, through the implementation of the National Oral Health Policy.