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Seanad
‹ Order of Business

School dental treatment delays

Summary

Senator Butler highlights five- to six-year waits in the HSE school dental service and the unaffordable cost of braces for children.

We talked this morning about child protection and child services. I raise the issue of the HSE dentist system for schools. I am sure many Senators here have had parents contact them, as I have, to discuss children with serious dental problems. They are assessed and placed on waiting lists for at least five to six years. From 2005 to 2010, things were going well with the Celtic tiger and people could borrow money from their local credit union or the banks to pay for braces and all the rest. We are talking about approximately €4,000 to €5,000 for a set of braces for a young child and follow-on services. That cannot be done anymore. There has been no investment since 2009. Services have been closed. We have ended up with nearly a decade of underfunding in this system. As things get better, I call for the provision of funding in this area. I ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, to look at this issue as we approach budget time. These waiting lists cannot go on. There has been a decade of underfunding and we really need the system to come up to scratch. Young people and schoolchildren are suffering because of this issue.

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