Dentists have expressed their outrage over the closure of a HSE dental clinic in Dublin that provides urgent treatment to children. However, Fine Gael has insisted that no child will be left without treatment.

The clinic at St James's Hospital provides dental care to around 3,000 children per year. Most of these are aged between five and seven and require multiple dental extractions under anaesthesia.

The HSE decided to close the clinic due to the sub-standard nature of the building in which it is housed. It insisted that this was not suitable for the use of general anaesthetics and said that it is seeking an alternative building.

However the Irish Dental Association (IDA) has said that the decision to close the clinic without putting alternative facilities in place is ‘disgraceful'.

It noted that the St James's clinic was opened on a temporary basis in 2003 and that the HSE ‘has known for years that a permanent facility was required'.

According to IDA chief executive, Fintan Hourihan, the failure to treat these children in a timely manner will ‘consign them to repeat courses of antibiotics and pose an unacceptable risk to their health and the possibility of severe dental infection'.

"We are calling on the HSE to take action immediately. They must provide suitable alternative facilities and put appropriate funding in place to ensure that children requiring general anaesthesia are not left waiting more than a couple of weeks before receiving treatment.

"Many dentists in the HSE have contacted us to express their extreme concern on behalf of their patients and their families. They are outraged at this latest move," he said.

However commenting on the matter, Fine Gael TD, Catherine Byrne said that she had spoken to the HSE area manager for Dublin South Central, who assured her that no child would be left without a service.

"Any child in need of urgent dental treatment can go to their local HSE health centre where they will be assessed by a dentist and then referred on for treatment where necessary. The HSE is actively seeking suitable new premises for the dental service. In the interim, the HSE will fund treatment in either the Hermitage or the Beacon, for Dublin-based children, and in Clane for children from Kildare and surrounding areas," she said.

Deputy Byrne added that details about the new premises would be announced ‘in the next month or so' and the service should be operational again ‘by the New Year'.