Dentists have begun a campaign to highlight the proposed abolition of patient treatment benefit, claiming any such cuts would have a serious impact on dental health and discourage people from having regular check-ups.
The Irish Dental Association has produced 1,000 posters which it has asked dentists to display in their surgeries to protest at the proposal in the McCarthy report that the treatment benefit scheme be abolished.
The McCarthy report published last month said treatment benefit, which contributes to the cost of dental and optical treatment and hearing aids, was “no longer affordable” given other pressures on the social insurance fund. It said some €92 million would be saved in a full year by the abolition of the payment.
The scheme allows patients who make PRSI contributions to avail of free or subsidised dental treatment and other benefits, such as eye tests.
A poster with the headline ‘Stop the Rot’ has been sent to dental surgeries as part of what the Irish Dental Association said would be a major public information campaign to oppose the cuts.
The poster urges dental patients to contact their local TDs to say they want the dental treatment they have paid for through their PRSI.
IDA chief executive Fintan Hourihan said any move to abolish the scheme would have a “serious impact on dental health and discourage people from having regular check ups”.
“Dentists have reacted with dismay to the idea that this scheme might be cut. We intend to fight vigorously to make people aware of the risk to the scheme which they’ve already paid for through their PRSI contributions,” he said.
“Workers on the average industrial wage contribute €20 per week in PRSI contributions while higher earners contribute up to €53 per week towards dental and other benefits.”
Under the scheme, patients are entitled to a dental examination and two basic teeth cleanings every year without any charge. Discounts of up to 15 per cent are available to patients under the scheme, in addition to State assistance to cover their basic filling requirements.
The IDA estimates there are about three million visits to dental surgeries in Ireland each year.
A body representing optometrists said earlier this month that the abolition of optical treatment benefit would lead to an increase in blindness and visual impairment.
The Association of Optometrists Ireland said stopping the scheme would lead to an “inevitable reduction” in regular eye examinations among pensioners and older people.