Staff shortages in the public dental service have led to soaring waiting lists, which are impacting the most vulnerable members of society, a representative of the Irish Dental Association (IDA) has warned.

According to Iseult Bouarroudj, who has just been elected president of the HSE Dental Surgeon Group, the current HSE recruitment embargo is seriously limiting the availability of public dental services and this is particularly affecting school-age children and teenagers, and people with special needs.

"Where services have been reduced we have seen an increase in patients presenting with pain and infection, necessitating complex treatment and in certain circumstances, acute hospital admission. Waiting lists for treatment under general anaesthesia, orthodontics and oral surgery have soared due to the lack of resources," she explained.

She described this situation as a ‘reprehensible consequence of the circumstances which now prevail in our public dental service'.

Some 350 public service dentists see more than 250,000 children every year. They also care for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society, including young people in the care of the HSE, older people and those with disabilities.

Ms Bouarroudj emphasised that while dentists are trying to provide the best service they can, morale among staff in this sector is very low.

"We are calling on the Minister for Health to reinstate sufficient numbers of staff in all HSE areas to ensure patients of the public dental service and orthodontic service have access to equitable services, irrespective of geographic location," she said.

Ms Bouarroudj made her comments at the recent annual seminar of the HSE Dental Surgeons Group in Mullingar.