The IDA points out that up to 10,000 children under the age of 15 are being hospitalised for dental extractions under general anaesthetic every year in the State.
Thousands of children with chronic dental infection needing multiple extractions are waiting up to a year for treatment according to the IDA.
"Ninety-five per cent of these cases would have been avoided if they had been detected and treated earlier," said IDA president Anne Twomey.
Below is an extract from a blogpost which was on this blog in July 2012. The piece appeared in INM's Irish regional newspapers on July 24/25, 2012.
Below is an extract from a blogpost which was on this blog in July 2012. The piece appeared in INM's Irish regional newspapers on July 24/25, 2012.
GMS patients are entitled to one check up, two fillings and as many extractions as they want per calendar year. PRSI patients are entitled to one examination only per year. The self-employed are entitled to nothing.
Isn’t that really a wonderful State. PRSI patients are entiled to no corrective work and GMS patients are allowed two fillings per year.
Any dentist I have spoken to in recent times is most critical of Government dental policy. Well, that’s not really the correct way to say it as the Government has no dental policy outside extraction.
It seems this Government has no problem with a toothless society.
When the Minister for Health was in a hurry to get back to the Dáil from Cyprus to try to justify or explain, whatever, his financial situation regarding his ownership of a nursing home, he can summon the Government jet to get him home on time.
Just think of it, a Government that incentivises tooth extractions has the money to fly a Government minister home from Cyprus to talk in riddles in the Dáil.
GUBU has risen from the ashes.
I doubt if any of our politicians, top Civil Servants, the bankers who are paid loads of money, give a second thought about going to a dentist. They just pay.
That’s what I did last week. But I'm ashamed of the society in which I am a citizen.
Of course, it’s not just dental care – it’s right across the board. We give lip service to treating all the children of the nation equally. It’s quite clear we don’t.
Last week Social Justice Ireland issued a report which shows how the gap between rich and poor is widening.
We all know that we are in recession but isn’t it odd that the top earners are now in a better position than they were before the crisis hit. And isn’t that ironic as it’s the top earners who are the ladies and gentlemen, who nodded their heads to the gurus and nomenclature of the day and did nothing about stopping the disaster.
Were we not paying them such top salaries so as to do good jobs and ultimately improve the conditions of all the citizens of this little republic?
The Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn keeps reminding us that we are in receivership and I understand that. But I don't understand how we can pay the salaries we do to Government ministers and the panoply of people around them and at the same time have not a care in the world in ripping out people's teeth.
What do GMS/PRSI patients with no spare cash do when they and their children need dental work?
It is shocking. And as long as the current Government 's 'extraction policy' is in place, every Government minister should walk about with his/her head bowed in shame.
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