Dentists say the closure of a dental clinic at St James' Hospital, without putting alternatives in place, is a disgrace.
The Irish Dental Association says the St James clinic treats 3000 five-to-seven year old children a year, who require multiple teeth pulled.
The CEO of the IDA, Fintan Hourihan described the closure as the latest in a series of stealth cuts being applied to an already depleted HSE dental service.
He warned that the failure to treat these children in a timely manner would consign them to repeat courses of antibiotics and pose an unacceptable risk to their health and the possibility of severe dental infection.
“We are calling on the HSE to take action immediately. They must provide suitable alternative facilities and put appropriate funding in place to ensure that children requiring general anaesthesia are not left waiting more than a couple of weeks before receiving treatment.
