A new massive rise reported in dental costs appears to be a direct result of the removal last month of State subsidies for the cost of dental treatment.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for January, reported a 15.3% year-on-year increase in dental fees from January 2009 to January 2010.

The monthly figures show that the cost of dental services increased by nearly 13% between December 2009 and January 2010.

The CSO said overall health costs increased by 2.2% between December and January, due to an increase in costs for dental and optical services.

According to the Irish Dental Association (IDA), the CSO told it that the latest increase in dental costs has arisen entirely as a result of the Government's removal of PRSI benefits for dental care.

However, there is now evidence that following the removal of subsidies, dentists are now starting to reduce their private fees in a bid to hold on to their patients.

Fintan Hourihan, Chief Executive of the IDA, said the CPI figures confirmed the serious detrimental impact of the Government's decision to remove PRSI subsidies in December's Budget.

"The decimation of the PRSI scheme is a disgrace. People are being made pay the same level of 'social insurance' from their wages but are receiving less in benefits. If a regular insurance company tried it, they would be run out of town."

Mr Hourihan said dentists were fighting to keep costs to patients as low as possible but inevitably, some of the costs previously borne by Government would end up being borne by patients.

He told irishhealth.com there was anecdotal evidence that many dentists were now reducing their charges.

"Dentists' incomes are being cut in a variety of ways but I know members are trying to avoid passing on extra costs to patients. Ironically, it's dentists and not the Government who will probably bear the criticism for this but it's the Government's fault."

However, figures indicate that over the past 12 months or so, and prior to the removal of PRSI subsidies, dentists were increasing their charges, in spite of the recession and general deflationary trends in most consumer sectors.

During this period, prices charged by other health professionals and other health costs were generally coming down.

In the CPI figures for December, it was shown that dental services were the only area of healthcare apart from hospital charges and health insurance that had risen over the previous year.

Prices charged in almost every health category went down during the 12 months to December 2009, with the exception of dentists' fees, which increased by 2.2%, and hospital fees, which went up by 11.7%. Health insurance, which is not categorised under "health costs " by the CSO, increased by around one-fifth last year.

Doctors' fees, which continued to increase until recently, are now starting to fall, with the 12 month figure to December showing a drop of 2.1% in medical fees and the 12-month figure to January showing a similar reduction.

CPI figures show that other health costs such as drugs and medicines, and alternative medicine fees, dropped over the past year.

The latest big increase in dental costs is due to the fact that patients paying PRSI must now pay the full cost, and not the subsidised cost of dental treatment, meaning a potential doubling of costs in many cases.

For example, if a dentist charges €85 for a filling, €100 for an extraction and €60 for a clean and polish, under the scheme that was effectively abolished by the Government on January 1, this would have cost a person earning under €65,000 and paying PRSI around €165 for three fillings, an extraction and a clean/polish.

Following the abolition of the subsidies, the same person could now end up paying €415 for the same treatment - two-and-a half-times the previous cost.

It is feared that this sudden hike in dental costs will discourage many people from attending their dentist.

However, it appears that some dentists are trying to hold on to their patients by offering better deal on fees following the removal of State subsidies.

One dental practice "chain" recently announced a cut in fees of 30%.

Debtal charges in Northern Ireland have previously been reported as being 30% lower than charges in the Republic.

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