
Just 35 HSE dentists are working in the HSE Dublin and Midlands region.
Tens of thousands of children who are at risk of untreated dental decay do not receive dental screenings until their final year of primary school or later.
According to recent data, the HSE only employed 249 dentists across all dental grades at the end of the previous year, a third fewer than the 330 employed in 2009.
There are just 35 HSE dentists working in the HSE Dublin and Midlands region.
Over 151,000 children were screened during the last quarter of 2019, but this figure has fallen to 106,000 in the same period in 2024.
Dr. Will Rymer from Expressions Dental Clinic in Roscrea says it's vital that children get seen by a dentist regularly: