Sinn Féin has brought forward this motion because the Government simply refused to understand that dental care is an essential part of healthcare. Across the State, particularly in counties like Cavan and Monaghan, families are being failed by a dental service that is stretched beyond capacity. State-wide, as colleagues have outlined, thousands of people, mostly children, are waiting for dental or orthodontic treatment, with a significant proportion waiting well over a year. Many children are leaving primary school without ever receiving the dental screening to which they are entitled. All of these numbers represent real children and families. In my constituency, parents contact me in utter desperation and frustration because their children are waiting years for orthodontic treatment. People feel they must contact local politicians because their child needs braces or other healthcare. This is the scenario that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have allowed to develop. Many people stretch themselves to access private treatment. A whole cohort of others just cannot afford that option and feel they are letting down their children. In fact, it is the Government that is letting them down. There are staffing issues in Monaghan, with vacancies in the local dental service for dental hygienists, general surgeons and dental nurses. All of those vacancies have been in place for a prolonged period. Then there is the situation at Dundalk hospital for the children who are referred there. We might as well tell them they will not receive the orthopaedic care they need. This cannot stand. We need urgent action to reduce orthodontic and dental waiting lists. We need investment in public dental services, a dedicated public-only dental contract and workforce planning. We must ensure dental places in our universities are being utilised by those we can encourage to work in the domestic system, rather than being sold to international students to make up for the shortfall in Government funding for the third level sector. We need a dental treatment service that actually works for the people it is supposed to serve.

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