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The healthcare system and the provision of oral healthcare in European Union member states. Part 7: Republic of Ireland

Woods, N., Ahern, S., Burke, F., Eaton, K.A., Widström, E. (2017) The healthcare system and the provision of oral healthcare in European Union member states. Part 7: Republic of Ireland. British Dental Journal, 222 (7). pp. 541-548. ISSN 0007-0610. E-ISSN 1476-5373. (doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.317) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:61746)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided. (Contact us about this Publication)
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.317

Abstract

The Irish oral healthcare system is a hybrid model with a public/private mix of service provision, predominantly organised on the basis of fee-per-item remuneration. The system is structured around three long standing publicly funded schemes: the Public Dental Service (PDS) for all children and adults with special needs and provided by salaried dentists, the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) for low income adults, and the Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme (DTBS) for insured persons, the latter two both provided by private independent dental practitioners. Ireland introduced systemic water fluoridation in 1963 and currently 73% of the population has access to fluoridated water. Ireland currently has a dentist density ratio of 6.1 dentists per 10,000 inhabitants and on average, 43% of the population (30% for those aged 70+ years) visit a dentist annually. In 2014, 83% of expenditure on oral healthcare was from out-of-pocket payments by patients, with less than 1% of overall government expenditure on healthcare allotted to oral healthcare. After the economic downturn of 2008 and the severe recession that followed in Ireland, substantial cutbacks in government expenditure resulted in extensive cuts to the public sector supply of dental services and to the extent of cover provided by the publicly funded schemes. The Department of Health has recognised the major post recessionary challenges facing the Irish health system, not least, significantly reduced budgets and capacity deficits, and acknowledges the need for change in Ireland's health service. In 2014, a three-year project commenced at the Department of Health, to develop a new national oral health policy for Ireland.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2017.317
Divisions: Divisions > Directorate of Education > School of Education
Depositing User: Kenneth Eaton
Date Deposited: 16 May 2017 14:41 UTC
Last Modified: 29 Sep 2021 15:00 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/61746 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Eaton, K.A..

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