LIMERICK children who have to wait three years for orthodontic treatment could be seen within six months. That is the view of consultant orthodontist for Limerick, Ted McNamara who is in charge of local lists and who claims that children are being bullied and are too shy to join in games and sports because of the condition of their teeth. The orthodontist, who is lobbying the Department of Health to allow him demolish waiting lists and bring the practices in Limerick into line with best practice in Europe, had commenced a pilot scheme, to enable dentists trained in orthodontics to treat public patients.
However, the scheme was discontinued.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Ursula Cosgrove, a member of the lobby group, Biteback.ie said;
“The feedback we are getting from parents is that their children are being bullied. It is destroying their self-confidence and it’s affecting how they are doing at school. Parents who cannot afford it are going private.”
She said that the official time on the waiting list for children is three years at present.
“But the situation is worse than that. Children have to be assessed, which can take two years before they even make it on to the list. I have a friend who has been waiting four years for treatment for her 15-year-old son, which is particularly hard on teenagers”.
On the Biteback.ie site, there is a link for parents to register their own experiences and Ursula is asking parents to click on this or to go to the group’s facebook page.
“We really need parents to let us know what is happening and to share the site information with other parents”.
Mr McNamara, who recently presented his case to the Minister of State with responsibility for Primary Care, Roisin Shortall, says he was forced to stop working with trained dentists in Limerick even though the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children described the scheme as an “excellent service” and recommended that it “should be reinstated immediately”.
Emphasising that his objective is “to train therapists to fit braces, as happens in other countries,” the orthodontist believes this would halve the waiting list in 18 months.
“In every other advanced country braces are fitted by dental therapists who have had extra training. Here, there are objections to fully qualified dentists fitting braces”.
Mr McNamara believes that an independent hearing is required.
A call to the Department of Health by the Limerick Post was not responded to by the time of going to press.
