Sir, – I was one of two dentists who recently spent a morning at two hostels for homeless men,women and children in Dublin city centre. We were examining patients for early signs of mouth cancer as part of Mouth Cancer Awareness Day 2012. We asked if they had a medical card and if they were aware that this entitled them to attend any one of a number of local dentists for dental treatment. The vast majority were unaware of this and almost all immediately asked if having a medical card entitled them to a free cleaning at the dentist. Somewhat ashamedly, we informed them that a free cleaning (scale and polish) was not on the list of treatments available. They are, however, entitled to as many extractions as they like.
It beggars belief that it has come to this. The most marginalised people in Irish society are not entitled to the most basic preventive treatment which a dentist can provide. An annual free cleaning at the dentist would help to prevent a considerable amount of gum disease, tooth loss and multiple extractions down the line. There is increasing evidence of a link between gum disease and heart disease. And yet, at the stroke of a pen, this very basic preventive treatment has been denied to medical card holders in this country since 2009.
Has nobody in “the department” ever heard that prevention is better than cure? No matter what the beleaguered state of our finances, government has no right to deny anyone in this country a healthy mouth and consequently perhaps a healthy heart. In addition, if medical card holders (and indeed PRSI qualified workers) were made aware of their entitlement to a free annual dental examination, which includes a mouth cancer check, then perhaps we can improve on the prevention and early detection rate of a potentially lethal form of cancer. – Yours, etc,