by Ciara O'Sullivan | Jun 21, 2020 | Uncategorized
The Dental Council has announced (May 16th) that dentists can now resume provision of treatments other than emergency treatments subject to compliance with new safeguards. The Minister for Health has announced that dental practices can open from 18 May subject to adherence to the HPSC guidelines on Managing Infection Related Risks in Dental Services. The Dental Council welcomes the easing of the restrictions and it commends the HPSC guide to the profession as the authoritative national advice on managing a return to a more routine form of dentistry. The measures are important to ensure safety in the dental surgery and to provide an assurance to patients that it is safe for them to attend their...
by Ciara O'Sullivan | Sep 1, 2019 | Uncategorized
The Dental Health Foundation supports and endorses a paper on e-cigarettes (click here). This is a newly published joint position statement from the Irish Cancer Society and Irish Heart Foundation on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTP). The paper reviews international research regarding e-cigarettes and HTP and sets out policy recommendations for...
by Ciara O'Sullivan | Sep 1, 2017 | Uncategorized
State support for dental treatment, through PRSI and medical card schemes, has fallen from a high of almost €150 million in 2009 to less than €75 million last year. Data also shows, from 2009 to 2015, the number of extractions of teeth among medical card patients increased, while cleanings and fillings fell. And, according to a study at St James’s hospital in Dublin, there was a 38 per cent increase in patients admitted for severe infections caused by dental decay, after the State dental supports were cut. Following the economic collapse in 2009, entitlements to treatment, under the PRSI Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme, were severely cut. Workers had been entitled to a free check-up and cleaning, as well as subsidised gum cleaning, fillings, extractions, root canal treatments, X-rays and denture work. After the 2009 budget, only the free examination was retained and workers were required to pay for the cost of all other treatments. In 2010, the medical card Dental Treatment Services Scheme was also cut back. Entitlements to cleaning, gum cleaning and X-rays were suspended, root canal treatment could only be performed on an emergency basis and only on front teeth, denture work was only allowed on an emergency basis and people could only have two fillings per year. But extractions, the cheapest of dental pain remedies, could still be performed on an unlimited basis. Since then, data on medical card dental patients shows extractions have increased by 15 per cent, from more than 108,000 in 2009 to almost 124,600 in 2016. And surgical extractions have increased by 40 per cent, from just over 37,200 to more than...
by Ciara O'Sullivan | Mar 14, 2017 | Uncategorized
The Irish Dental Association has urged people to prioritise their oral health and not to ignore dental pain, gum infection or trauma. The call follows the death of 26 year old Vadim Kondratyuk Anatoliyevich, a father of two from California, who passed away after a dental infection spread to his lungs. While deaths from dental infection are thankfully rare, this tragedy underlines the fact that untreated tooth and gum infections can lead to other health complications and even fatal consequences. Prevention is key. Don’t ignore an abscess, gum infection, swelling or dental injury and be sure to visit your dentist promptly if you have a concern. A study from 2015 showed there had been a 38% increase in the number of patients admitted to Irish hospitals with severe dental infections. There is no doubt that the swingeing cuts which were made to the medical card and PRSI dental schemes as well as the Public Dental Service are responsible for this massive increase. These cuts have removed preventive treatments, putting patients at risk from dental disease with potential risks to their general health. At present antibiotics are often prescribed in the absence of the availability of effective treatment....
by Ciara O'Sullivan | Oct 21, 2016 | Uncategorized
A leading expert in dental trauma has called on parents to make sure that their children wear properly fitting mouth guards when playing contact sports. Dr Anne O’Connell, Consultant In Paediatric Dentistry and Director of the Trauma Clinic at Dublin Dental University Hospital, highlighted the fact that one in five Irish children and adolescents is affected by dental trauma. Speaking at the HSE Dentists annual seminar in Athlone, Dr O’Connell said prevention is the key priority. “A good fitting mouth guard will cover all the teeth onto the gum and should not drop when speaking. Unfortunately too many children here are using ill fitting mouth guards. For example many of the ‘boil and bite’ type are not being heated appropriately and are failing to cover the teeth or are loose. Clearly this compromises their ability to offer effective protection.” Dr O’Connell pointed out that dental trauma doesn’t just happen in organised sports. “In Ireland one in four pre-schoolers has a dental trauma and children who have had an injury or who have prominent teeth may also need to wear mouth guards depending on the organised activity. It’s also important that toddlers who have had a dental trauma are assessed on an ongoing basis as their permanent teeth may be affected” It’s estimated that the cost of treating dental trauma injuries amongst children in Ireland is between €8 to €20m. “This is an important public health issue and that is why Dublin Dental University Hospital is currently conducting a study trying to estimate how much it costs to treat traumatic injuries to permanent teeth in children. As well as the basic financial cost, there are often psychological issues, lost school days and time off work for parents.” “The sporting bodies such as rugby, hockey...
