A quick and easily implementable solution to increasing the number of dentists in Ireland over the coming years is possible, a Fine Gael TD has said

Cork North Central Deputy Colm Burke has argued that we can have more qualified dentists by increasing the amount of places available to Irish students on Dentistry courses in UCC and Trinity College Dublin.

Deputy Burke said: “The Department of Health’s own figures – published last in the National Healthcare Statistics 2023 – estimates that the number of practicing dentists in Ireland for 2022 stood at 2,420 dentists.

“This means 2,420 dentists per 5,149,139 population is 47 dentists per 100,000 or one dentist per 2,128 population. This is at the lower end or bottom quartile of the OECD countries. We simply do not have enough dentists.

“Irish student places in Trinity or UCC have not increased in 25 years. While a new course is commencing in RCSI in the Autumn, and this is welcome, the number of Irish students in both UCC and Trinity is not increasing.

“In 2023, there were 61 final year dentistry students in UCC and 46 dentistry students in Trinity College Dublin. This year, 36 final year students in UCC and 21 in Trinity were from non-EEA countries.

Half of the places were allocated to non-EEA (European Economic Area) students.

“Due to the reliance on non-EEA students to cross-subsidise the funding of the dental schools, graduates from Irish dental schools have only made up about a third of those registering with the Dental Council for the last 15 years.

“If additional funding was provided to increase the number of places allocated to Irish students, we would see more dentists working in the Irish system, making it easier for people to access dental services and reducing waiting lists.

“An Irish Dental Association survey found that nearly two-thirds of dental practices who tried to recruit dentists in the twelve months to May 2023 could not fill the vacancy. Due to this staffing issue, one quarter of dentists are currently not in a position to take on new private adult patients, while 59% said the shortage of dental staff is impacting on patient access and treatment in their practice.

“The national total of dentists with a Dental Treatment Service Scheme contract in 2024 was 810, down from 1,452 in 2012. This represents a decrease of 642 in just 12 years.

“The number of full public dentists employed by the HSE to deliver school dental screening has decreased by 30 since 2012. This is despite a backlog in the number of children awaiting their first appointment.

“Just over 104,000 were seen by a dentist under the school dental screening service in 2023, a drop of 31,000 on 2017. A solution to this issue is available and must be implemented at the earliest opportunity. I am calling for an increase in the allocation of number of places on dentistry courses and the necessary funding provided to do so.”