• New data shows half of special care dental patients waiting 12+ months for treatment under general anaesthetic
• 1,800 special care dental patients on waiting lists
• 1,450 children nationally waiting 12+ months
• Recommendation to ringfence beds for vulnerable patients endorsed by recent Oireachtas Health Committee report
• “data shows that we urgently need to ringfence beds across the country to combat special care waiting lists” – IDA President

 Newly appointed Irish Dental Association (IDA) President Dr Bridget Harrington-Barry has called on Government to ringfence hospital beds to ensure general anaesthetic services are provided for children and adult special care dental patients across the country. This follows new data compiled by the IDA.

The new figures show that currently 1,800+ special care adults and children across Ireland are on waiting lists to access public dental treatment under general anaesthetic, with half (49%) waiting 12+ months for treatment.

More than a quarter (27.5%) of all 1,801 patients waiting for dental general anaesthetic are special care patients. Meanwhile, all children on the waiting list in HSE Mid West are waiting more than 12 months to undergo treatment. HSE South West has the highest absolute number of children waiting, with 979 children on lists.

Children also make up over half of all patients waiting for dental treatment under general anaesthetic. These waits occur during critical developmental years, increasing risks of pain, infections requiring the use of antibiotics, missed schooling and emergency department presentations.

The ringfencing proposal was last week endorsed by a report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health, on a cross-party basis.

Referencing the overall deterioration of public dental services, Chair Deputy Pádraig Rice said, “Urgent action is required without further delay, and there is need for clear commitment from the Minister for Health to address this matter.”

Additionally, newly obtained figures show that there has been a 31% decrease in dental surgeons employed by the HSE since 2005, despite a 32% growth in national population. This reflects a public dental service in a state of deepening crisis.

Speaking in advance of the IDA’s Annual Conference, which takes place on Thursday April 23rd, Dr Harrington-Barry said:

“Following sustained difficulties in securing consistent access to capacity in my own clinic in University Hospital Galway, last year we ringfenced a service for my paediatric special care patients.

“The initiative has been a major success, and we have since not been required to cancel paediatric special care procedures. This new data shows that we urgently need to ringfence beds across the country to combat special care waiting lists. We also need to extend the initiative to include vulnerable adult patients.

“It is vital that patients with additional needs receive the right care, at the right time, in a way that reflects compassion and dignity.

“As highlighted by the dramatic drop in dental surgeons employed by the HSE since 2005, we would also like to see additional investment in the recruitment and training of dentists. By contrast, the number of junior doctors (NCHDs) has risen by 52% between 2012 and 2021, Consultants by 44%, admin staff by 37% and nurses by 20%.

“Why has public service dentistry been singled out and been utterly devastated as a service when the number of dental patients has increased by over 25% in the past twenty years?.”

IDA President Dr Bridget Harrington-Barry is a HSE Senior Dental Surgeon in HSE West North West, Galway who also works at University Hospital Galway, having been elected President of the Irish Dental Association on April 16th.