Dentists are calling on the Minster for Health to carry out an immediate evaluation of the effects of cutbacks made to the two main dental treatment schemes - the PRSI and Medical Card schemes.

Medical Card holders used to be entitled to free routine dental care, however earlier this year, the HSE announced that they would only be entitled to emergency treatment for relief of pain or infection.

Meanwhile since January 1, people paying PRSI are only entitled to a free dental check-up. They no longer receive significant discounts on fillings, extractions, root canal work or dentures.

According to the Irish Dental Association (IDA), both moves will inevitably have a detrimental effect on the dental health of the nation, with fewer people attending their dentists due to the increased cost involved.

The association pointed out that in a recent response to a Dail question, Health Minister, Mary Harney, confirmed that the Department of Health is not carrying out any evaluation on the effects of these cutbacks.

It has also emerged that the HSE has yet to act on the recommendations of a report it commissioned on recruitment to the Public Dental Service (PDS). The PA Consulting Report said a moratorium on recruitment, which is currently in place, should not apply to the PDS. This service deals mainly with the priority groups of children and those with special needs.

The IDA noted that when making changes to the Medical Card scheme, the HSE said it needed to cut budgets in order to ‘safeguard services for children and special needs groups'.

The association said that the inaction by both the Minister and the HSE showed a ‘callous disregard' for the welfare of all dental patients and was ‘simply unacceptable'.

Speaking at the public Dental Surgeon's Conference in Sligo, IDA chief executive, Fintan Hourihan, said the failure of the HSE and the Minister to adequately staff the PDS was a matter of the utmost seriousness.

"When implementing the cuts to the dental schemes, the HSE said it was doing so to protect services for children and those with special needs. I would urge them to implement the findings of their own report as a matter of urgency.

"The PDS service has been understaffed for years and this moratorium has stretched the service to breaking point. If the HSE does not act promptly, their promise to look after children and special needs groups will ring hollow indeed," he pointed out.

Mr Hourihan insisted that the failure of the Department of Health to evaluate the effects of the cutbacks showed that ‘head in the sand' thinking is alive and well in the department.

"The failure of the Minister to evaluate the effects of the cutbacks on 1.9 million Medical Card holders beggars belief. We have warned the HSE and the Minister that they are storing up huge problems for the dental health of the nation for the future. If people are denied treatments now, the remedial treatment needed in a few years time will be more painful and much more expensive," he said.

He added that as well as being unfair, these cuts ‘simply don't make any financial sense'.

"Perhaps that's why the Department isn't carrying out an evaluation. Whatever the reason, it is grossly irresponsible and patients down the line will suffer due to the complete absence of any data on this system failure."