The Irish Dental Association has described the medical card scheme as being wholly unfit for purpose and called for it to be replaced as soon as possible.
The IDA said the dental profession has no confidence in the operation of the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) by the HSE because it has manifestly failed the patients it was designed to serve.
According to a new report on December last, the number of patients eligible for dental care under the Scheme stood at 1,734,853 represented 37% of the population. This is an increase of 256,293 or 17% since December 2009. The report was published to coincide with the IDA’s annual conference which was held in Galway at the weekend.
However despite the fact that the number of eligible patients has increased significantly, the number of treatments has actually fallen by 20%.
This is due to unilateral cuts to the Scheme which the HSE imposed in 2010 without informing or consulting with patients, contractor dentists or the Irish Dental Association.
The cuts means it is essentially an emergency care only scheme with patients only entitled to an annual exam, two fillings and unlimited extractions.
The amount of cleanings has fallen by 97% and the number of protracted periodontal treatments (for gum disease) has fallen by 80%, while the number of fillings has also fallen by over 33%. On the other hand surgical extractions have increased by 53% and routine extractions have increased by over 14%.
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