BY C.J. MCGINLEY
SOME dental surgeries in Letterkenny have had to close their appointment books while others have confirmed it could take at least four months for a routine check up - if you can even get one, it has emerged this week.
The population boom in the town over recent years coupled with the lack of graduate dentists wanting to relocate to the county are among the reasons for the serious delay. There is also the fact that less than half of the six practices in the town operate the General Medical Scheme.
The Donegal News carried out a random survey of three practices in town on Monday and asked when was the earliest they had an available appointment. One said that they were not taking on new patients while another reported they had 'closed their books' because the appointment book was full for at least three months.
A third reported the earliest appointment they could give was March 21.
A local dentist said in some practices people could have to wait up to three months for 'emergency treatment'. He said while practices differed it was fair to report the average waiting time to see a dentist in town would be three months for a routine check-up. He said some dentists had opted not to do GMS work because the fees were much less than for private work.
"The waiting times vary from practice to practice but the average waiting time for a routine appointment in Letterkenny now is at least three to four months - some practices aren't taking on any new patients at all. Less than half of the six practices take medical card patients because of the fees issue. For an emergency appointment it could take up to three months but some dentists leave scope in their books for real emergency cases that just have to be treated," he said.
"The problem with the GMS system is fee orientated. Some dentists want to do high quality dentistry with private patients where fees are higher rather than the medical card system.
"The population of Letterkenny has soared in recent years yet there has only been one new practice opened in town over the last six or seven years or maybe even longer. It is also difficult to get graduates to locate here. Most want to stay in the cities and another factor is that only around half of the existing surgeries in Letterkenny are taking on new patients at all," he added.
The details have emerged as the Health Service Executive began a detailed survey of the dental system in Donegal, including waiting time issues and access to services for GMS patients. Many people are being forced to go across the border to dental surgeries in Northern Ireland for treatment due to the long waiting lists.
