Children living in some parts of Dublin are having to wait up to five years for vital orthodontic treatment, while adults in Cork with special needs are having to wait up to three years before they can access certain dental treatments, dentists have warned.

According to the Irish Dental Union (IDU), cutbacks by the HSE have resulted in major delays in dental services for children living in certain parts of the country, while in some parts, ‘services have been suspended altogether'.

The union said that children under the age of 16 who are living in north Dublin are now having to wait up to five years for orthodontic treatment. Orthodontics is a specialised branch of dentistry that aims to improve the appearance and position of the teeth and jaw bones. The aim is to produce better functioning teeth and a more attractive smile and this is done using braces.

The earlier children are treated by an orthodontist, the better.

The union also warned that children in Cavan are not having their first school dental check-up until they reach sixth class. Since 2000, all children in Ireland under the age of 16 are entitled to receive dental health screening and preventive treatments, as well as treatment for defects identified during these screening exams.

Like orthodontics, the earlier this is done the better, as potential problems can be detected and resolved before they worsen.

Meanwhile, the union also noted that children in Sligo are having to wait six months for dental treatment if a general anaesthesia is needed.

However, children are not the only ones whose dental health is suffering. According to the union, ‘all high-risk adult special needs patients in the greater Dublin area have had the provision of general anaesthesia suspended until next January'. Furthermore, adults with special needs in Cork are having to wait three years before they can receive treatments that require a general anaesthesia.

The IDU insisted that the provision of dental services in this country is ‘like a postcode lottery', with care standards varying greatly depending on where a person lives.

Commenting on the issue, IDU chief executive, Fintan Hourihan, said that these examples are just ‘a selection of the many ways in which children up to 16 and special needs patients are being denied essential preventive dental care'.

"Regrettably, all the evidence shows that failure to screen dental problems and arrange treatments at an early stage will inevitably cause significant deterioration in the dental health of such patients," he explained.

Speaking at a seminar for HSE dentists in Athlone, Mr Hourihan said that this issue is ‘directly attributable' to the ban on hiring staff within the HSE.

"These two vulnerable groups are losing out due to the refusal to replace dentists, dental nurses and other key support staff. Also dental staff are now being asked to care for adult medical card holders who are being denied dental treatments due to swinging cutbacks in the medical card scheme, which is really only managing to offer limited emergency care at present," he insisted.

The IDU called on the HSE to carry out an immediate audit of the dental services currently available to these vulnerable patients.

"Once that is done, we want an action plan to be drawn up to address the critical shortfalls in this system. Denying our children and special needs patients proper dental care is a shocking indictment of our healthcare system," Mr Hourihan added.