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Public service dentistry is facing a resourcing crisis, the incoming president of the Irish Dental Association (IDA) has warned.<\/p>\nPublic service dentistry is facing a resourcing crisis, the incoming president of the Irish Dental Association (IDA) has warned.<\/p>\n
Dr Anne O\u2019Neill said that resourcing levels have become a full-blown crisis as the HSE Community Dental Service deals with vulnerable special needs patients and children.<\/p>\n
Between 25 per cent and 40 per cent of skilled staff have been assigned to testing and contact tracing for Covid-19 and have not been replaced, according to the IDA members\u2019 survey.<\/p>\n
Dr O\u2019Neill warned that the needs of patients \u201ccannot be met\u201d.<\/p>\n
She also said that services including the annual school assessments have fallen behind, adding that this puts children\u2019s health at risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually we would be starting assessments for the new school year at this time, but because of Covid-19 we have a large backlog from last year and are well behind on reaching our target class population,\u201d Dr O\u2019Neill said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout the requisite skilled staff and additional resources we cannot make up that gap, and the opportunity to identify problems early is permanently lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said that the indirect effects of Covid-19 have also had a significant effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cCovid-19 has slowed the process of providing dental care in many aspects, reducing the number of patients which can be seen in the day,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to conduct a public health risk assessment before every dental treatment, which impacts on every single appointment, adding greatly to dentists\u2019 workflow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr O\u2019Neill said that the loss of skilled staff who treat children and people with special needs could not be solved easily.<\/p>\n
Last July, the IDA surveyed almost 600 private and public service dentists.<\/p>\n
It found that prior to the introduction of Covid-19 restrictions, 37 per cent of public dentists reported seeing more than 15 patients per day.<\/p>\n
According to IDA that number is now 0 per cent, with the vast majority now seeing fewer than 10 patients per day.<\/p>\n
This has contributed to significantly increased waiting times for non-emergency appointments, which now average 101 days.<\/p>\n
Dr O\u2019Neill also warned that a failure to immediately address a 20 per cent reduction in dentist numbers in recent years will have significant long-term implications.<\/p>\n
\u201cOral health is a crucial part of a person\u2019s overall health. Our current resourcing levels mean that we are missing early-stage issues in both children and patients with special needs which could have major long-term health effects,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
She called for skilled staff to be moved back into their roles and said there is a need for additional staff who can develop the skills to treat child and adult patients.<\/p>\n