Most dentists have no confidence in the Medical Card Scheme and feel they cannot provide an adequate level of care to patients under it, a new survey has found.

According to the findings, 90% of dentists are dissatisfied with the level of care they can provide under the scheme, while 96% feel the scheme prevents them from providing the same standard of care that private patients receive.

Meanwhile, 97% of dentists lack confidence in the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS), which is the scheme under which medical card holders receive dental treatment free of charge.

The survey revealed that 38% of dentists said that they have been refused approval to provide treatment for patients who were considered high risk or exceptional, due to a lack of funding.

Not surprisingly perhaps, three-quarters of dentists surveyed said they would like to leave the scheme within the next five years.

The survey of 440 dentists was carried out by the Irish Dental Association (IDA). It pointed out that since 2010, the number of patients eligible for dental care has risen to over 1.3 million, an increase of 24%. Yet despite this increase, the number of treatments funded by the HSE has fallen by 24%.

"The scheme is 24 years old and unfit for purpose. Some 57% of dentists say they have experienced considerable or a huge amount of problems with it in the past five years.

"They are saying it's a disgrace for patients and dentists, that it's broken and underfunded. They are tired of battling with the HSE and having to explain to disappointed patients why they cannot provide them with basic dental care," commented IDA chief executive, Fintan Hourihan.

He pointed out that medical card patients tend to have poorer oral health and a greater need for treatment.

"How has the HSE addressed their needs? They have quite simply removed preventive and restorative treatments from the very people with the greatest need. Research shows that there was a 38% increase in the number of patients admitted to hospital with severe infections in 2011 and 2012 following the introduction of those cuts," Mr Hourihan noted.

He acknowledged that the PRSI Scheme has had some treatments restored, which he described as a ‘very welcome development'.

However in contrast, the Medical Card Scheme continues to place a limit on the number of fillings a person can have, which could potentially save a tooth, while allowing an unlimited number of extractions.

"This has led to a 41% increase in the number of surgical extractions and a 12% rise in routine extractions. The two-tier nature of these schemes cannot be allowed to continue any longer," Mr Hourihan said.

The IDA is calling on the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, to resume contract talks urgently and to commit funding to a new scheme in the next budget.

"Until that is in place, the costs of poor dental health will continue to be borne by the most disadvantaged in society," Mr Hourihan added.

The survey was carried out in the first two weeks of May 2018.