The annual cost of preventive dental healthcare packages to all children under the age of 16 years could be as high as €41.1m according to the ESRI, while similar preventive dental healthcare packages for adults could cost even more. Under the new policy, all children aged under 16 will receive eight oral healthcare packages including examinations, assessments, advice, prevention interventions, emergency care and referral as appropriate. Similar packages will also be provided for medical card holders over 16 years, to be provided in a primary care setting by oral healthcare practitioners contracted by the HSE. The ESRI estimated that the cost for the children packages would range between €26m and €41.1m a year, while those for adults would range between €6.9m and €42.8m. RTE's PrimeTime programme revealed this week that children at the end of the 1990s and into the following decade had compromised dental care after a reduction in staff in regional orthodontic teams at that time.

Source: Irish Examiner April 03, 2019 16:41 UTC