Concern over dental care contracts
CONCERN has been expressed by Sinn Féin TD, Deputy Johnny Mythen, over dental care contracts in County Wexford.
In particular Dep Mythen has serious concerns around dental treatment for those with a medical card.
He was commenting on the matter in the wake of recent parliamentary questions which led to the revelation that the number of dentists with a Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS) contract dropped from 70 in 2020, to 29 at present, within the county.
Speaking about the issue Dep Mythen said: ‘All medical card holders are entitled to specific dental treatments. These are provided through general dental practitioners through the Dental Treatment Service Scheme (DTSS).’
He highlighted the nature of the work covered under the scheme which ranges from fillings to extractions.
Dep Mythen said that such treatments, if left undone, leave people in a lot of pain and in some cases make people unable to eat.
Dep Mythen described the drop in DTSS contracts across the county as ‘dramatic’.
‘ This startling drop has serious repercussions in terms of access and wait times for dental treatment for those with a medical card,’ he said.
‘Let’s not forget this includes people who may be in a lot of pain with serious dental issues that require urgent attention,’ he added.
Dep Mythen said it’s ‘utterly wrong’ to leave people waiting in that state.
‘Dentists have previously argued that the scheme is outdated and fails to cover the costs of treating patients,’ he said.
‘ They are also frustrated with the lack of support since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, including support for accessing and funding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE),’ he added.
Dep Mythen also acknowledged that such equipment is ‘absolutely vital’ for dentists and dental staff due to their close interaction with patients.
‘I have questioned the minister on the departmental response to this crisis,’ said Dep Mythen.
‘ The Minister needs to urgently intervene and talk to the dentistry associations to address this situation before it gets even worse,’ he added.
‘We cannot have a situation where medical card holders continuously cannot access vital dental treatment.’