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The Irish Dental Association has warned that the proposal by An Bord Snip to abolish the Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme [DTBS] could end up costing the Exchequer twice as much as it would cost to keep it in place.
The claim was made today at a special meeting between the Irish Dental Association and the Minister for Social Welfare, Mary Hanafin TD. The meeting was followed by a separate meeting with Fine Gael Health Spokesman, Dr. James Reilly.
The IDA also published figures which show that 1.5 million dental treatments were carried out under the scheme last year [2008]. Under the scheme workers who make PRSI contributions can avail of free or subsidised dental treatment.
At the meeting, the IDA presented the Minister with a Cost: Benefit analysis of the Dental Treatment Purchase Scheme undertaken by Dr. Brenda Gannon, a health economist at NUI Galway. This analysis shows that while the Scheme costs the Exchequer E68 million to finance, it returns a 'societal benefit' of E195 million to the State - a net benefit of E127 million.
According to Dr. Gannon, the E195 million benefit that arises from the Scheme includes a number of elements including:
A benefit of approximately E14 million attributed to reduced costs arising from illnesses associated with gum disease [periodontal disease]. These include heath attacks, strokes, pancreatic cancer and peripheral vascular disease. Many of these diseases are first identified through dental examinations undertaken as part of the DTBS. The benefit assumes that regular checkups can lead to a 10% improvement in dental health amongst the 50% of the population eligible for the DTBS.
An income to the Exchequer of approximately E54 million in tax revenue which is linked to work by dentists and support staff arising from the DTBS.
A saving of E4 million in unemployment benefits for staff who would lose their jobs if the scheme was abolished.
A saving of approximately E112 million in private dental treatments which would be required to replace the DTBS.
An ongoing cost to the Exchequer of E10 million from medical card patients using the card to claim dental treatments in place of the DTBS scheme.
Approximately E1 million in savings accruing from reduced costs associated with the treatment of Oral Cancer because the DTBS encourages regular checking for symptoms.
Speaking today, Fintan Hourihan, Chief Executive of the Irish Dental Association, said that the scheme was a critical part of the dental healthcare apparatus and must be preserved; 'The Exchequer pays very little subsidy to support good dental health care in Ireland and we believe that if the Government moves to abolish the DTBS, we will see a sharp deterioration in the standard of dental health in Ireland. We are appealing to the Minister to resist this attempt to remove what little subsidy exists and to support the maintenance of the DTBS.'
Hourihan said that the Dental Association was willing to work with the Minister to see how the existing scheme could be improved and made more efficient.
ENDS
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