Following on from the 2024 General Election, the new draft Programme for Government (PfG) has been published, and it contains a range of welcome measures that will bolster oral and overall public health if implemented, in close alignment with our previous advocacy campaigns. 2025 will be a year of opportunity for the Irish Dental Association, our membership and our patients.

The PfG outlines a number of positive pledges for oral health, including a promise to recruit additional public dentists and increase the number of college places in dentistry, a key aim of the Association. The PfG also contains the implementation of Smile agus Sláinteas a priority, the IDA has continuously emphasised the lack of action on this policy plan announced over five years ago.

The prioritisation of prevention by Government is a key aim of the Irish Dental Association which the organisation has extensively lobbied for in recent years. Expanding access to the orthodontic scheme for children and strengthening the School Dental Programme as outlined in the PfG would assist in this objective. We also believe that prevention programmes should also be established for adults, focusing on non-communicable oral diseases, such as mouth cancer, in order to ensure a high quality of life for all.

At the core of our mission is the belief that a properly developed public dental service is central to universal healthcare delivery. However, the number of dentists in public services has dropped by 23% over the past 15 years, this puts an enormous strain on existing services, burdens existing staff and leads to long waiting lists.

The Dentists Act of 1985 is outdated and not fit for purpose, we welcome the PfG’s pledge to update the Act following on from our pre-election engagement with all major political parties, it is absolutely vital that these reforms are finally carried out. We must allow in legislation for mandatory licensing and inspection of dental practices, the absence of such protocols opens the door to illicit services which may harm the general public.

The Act has led to dentistry becoming out-of-step with all other regulated healthcare professions in not having a statutory continuous professional development (CPD) scheme.  This reflects our ongoing commitment to raising standards of dental care and ensuring that dental professionals remain up to date with the latest advances in oral healthcare, techniques, and patient safety.

The recognition and regulation of additional dental specialities as contained in the PfG is also long overdue and would bring Ireland in line with international standards.

The PfG pledge to include a new Dental Treatment Service Scheme for Medical Card Holders is most welcome and vital to enhancing Ireland’s oral health, the IDA has continuously stated to political stakeholders that the current scheme is outdated and unfit for purpose and allows for restrictions to be placed by the state on treatment provided to patients.

The Irish Dental Association will continue its advocacy in the year ahead, pursuing constructive, policy-led engagement with the new Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, and pushing our agenda into the public spotlight. We will hold this new government to its promises laid out in the PfG, we will continue to engage on a day-to-day basis on these issues in the best interests of our membership and patients.

It is notable how many of the oral health commitments outlined in the Programme reflect the aims of the Association and the key issues we have campaigned upon, with input from our diverse membership. Effective advocacy is at the core of improving workplace outcomes, oral health services as a whole and improving the overall patient experience.

We envision a society where oral healthcare is accessible, affordable, effective and of a high international standard. We are committed to representing our membership and reflecting the patient experience.

If Government is held to account in a constructive manner, we can deliver the changes that are necessary to realise a brighter future in oral health, maximising the input of public finances into the system to achieve better outcomes, which will improve the overall health and wellbeing of Irish society.