Concerns over dental care for children with intellectual disabilities in west region
The Mayo president-elect of the Irish Dental Association, Dr. Bridget Harrington-Barry, has responded to concerns that children with intellectual disabilities have difficulties accessing dental care in the west of Ireland.
The matter was raised at an Oireachtas committee by Deputy Colm Burke.
He stated: "Every week I have different parents coming to me about this matter.
"There seems to be a huge problem in that area because in a lot of cases the child needs to get an anaesthetic for a proper examination and treatment.
"What is the the Irish Dental Association's understanding of what is now being provided, in particular for children with intellectual disability as regards planned approach to dealing with that type of patient?"
Dr. Harrington-Barry, who is senior dental surgeon with responsibility for school screening and special care patients with the HSE in Galway, replied: "From a screening point of view for special care patients, these patients in an ideal situation would not need any treatment if we had a proper screening procedure and proper preventative treatments in place.
"That can be something as basic as basic oral health instruction.
"When we get to the time when we have to have treatment, general anaesthetic is usually the place we need to go.
"I run two general anaesthetic services in University College Hospital in Galway. I have an adult service and a paediatric service.
"A year ago it came to a crisis as I was not getting access at all. There is always a knock-on effect on a health service or in a department.
"The emergency department in UCHG is full.
"Therefore, those patients are then admitted into the surgical day ward and a lot of elective surgeries are cancelled, which would include special care patients."
Deputy Burke: "Is Dr. Harrington-Barry saying that, basically, dental care is not compartmentalised like other areas and, as a result, you fall in under the general scheme as regards trying to get access?
Dr. Bridget Harrington-Barry: "Yes. I work in UCHG to treat patients - children and adults with additional needs."
Deputy Burke: "Is one of the problems in the dental service that dentists get frustrated with the system as they find that they have not got any change in the last five to ten years?
Dr. Bridget Harrington-Barry: "We can get particularly frustrated, but when it works it works.
"We had a crisis this time last year so we sat down and ring-fenced a service for my paediatric special care patients.
"I have ring-fenced beds in the paediatric ward in UCHG and I have not been cancelled at all.
"The other body of work that we need to do is to ring-fence those same beds for my adult patients."