Tipperary TD raises concerns over six-year delay in dental care treatment

Tipperary TD Martin Browne has warned of a dental crisis in County Tipperary as people on the Dental Treatment Services Scheme are waiting up to six years for some treatments.

He has raised concerns that the current medical card scheme is no longer viable.

“Earlier this year I highlighted how the number of dentists operating the DTSS in County Tipperary has been falling significantly in recent years because the scheme is outdated and no longer reflects operational costs.

"Unfortunately, I’ve been informed by dentists in the county that this decline is continuing because there has been no movement in reviewing the scheme,” said the Sinn Féin TD.

Deputy Browne said that one dentist in County Tipperary had told him that he can no longer to afford to take on any additional medical card patients because the scheme no longer covered the costs of dental repair and that, after 40 years, he cannot stick with the scheme much longer in its current state.

According to the Irish Dental Association, the Department of Health’s slow movement on the matter meant “the current crisis will get a whole lot worse before thins get any better”, he said.

“The scheme is on the brink of collapse. This is failing people across Co Tipperary, and the Department of Health needs to commit itself to reviewing it and to pay more than lip service to our dental professionals,” said the Cashel-based TD.

“The Office of the Head of Primary Care at South East Community Healthcare told me that if a person ‘is within guidelines for HSE Orthodontic treatment when assessed, the current wait time is approximately 72 months’,” he said. “This equates to six years of a young person’s life.”

He warned that this can lead to parents of young children getting themselves into a high level of debt or even approaching moneylenders in order to get private treatment.

Deputy Browne said to allow such a situation to arise in County Tipperary was “sheer and absolute neglect” on the part of the Department of Health.

“Entire areas of County Tipperary are being affected by these scandals,” he said.