IDA to address Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health on medical card scheme today. Current failings of medical card scheme have led to ‘lifetime of embarrassment, decreased nutrition and loss of wellbeing’ for patients.

Funding drops of up to 48% for dental medical card scheme recorded in just three years. Medical card scheme in ‘complete chaos’. ‘The general approach of the Department of Health suggests a level of disrespect, if not contempt, for medical card patients’.

Good oral health is key to preventing halitosis. If bad breath persists, make sure to visit your dentist who is open under all lockdown levels.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly: ‘Dentists are clinically trained, they give people injections all the time’. Government must honour promise to begin vaccination of dentists from February 8th

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar last week stressed that dentists be given equal priority to medical GPs for vaccinations, however there has been no meaningful engagement on vaccination of dentists as priority group

PPE promised by Government to dentists seven months ago has still not arrived. No meaningful engagement on vaccination of dentists as priority group. ‘Disrespectful and unreasonable’ for Government to expect dentists to carry on as normal under circumstances.

Confirmation was received by the Association over the weekend that dentists will be amongst those such as doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers to be prioritised for receipt of the Covid-19 vaccines. A series of representations were made by the Irish Dental Association to state authorities at the highest level over the past ten days insisting that dentists should be recognised as a priority group for the programme of vaccinations to be rolled out in the new year.

The 2019 annual report of the Dental Complaints Resolution Service has been published. The Service handled its 1,000th complaint in 2020 and has established itself as an essential service for dentists and patients since it commenced in 2012. The Services offers a free, voluntary, quick, and informal service to assist in the resolution of complaints that cannot be resolved directly between dentists and patients.

Dental care remains an essential service as designated by the Government and therefore dental clinics will remain open to provide care during the current Level 5 restrictions. Patients and staff are entitled to travel more than 5km from home to see the dentist / attend for duty.

‘Oral health is an essential part of a person’s overall health’. IDA launches pre-Budget submission today (Monday). 22% fall in dentists providing medical card treatment over five years, affecting 300,000 patients. Up to 40% of public service dentists redeployed for testing and contact tracing for Covid-19 – and not replaced.