Public dental surgeons are to be balloted on action, including possible industrial action, in the event that the HSE makes further "unilateral" changes to their terms and conditions of employment.
The decision to ballot members was taken today by national committee of the public dental surgeons' group of the Irish Dental Association.
The committee met in emergency session on the fringe of the annual seminar of the public dental surgeons' group, which is currently taking place in Wexford.
The dentists said this week there was a "crisis" in the public dental service with special needs adults and children waiting for over a year for dental treatment.
Public dental surgeons are employed by the HSE to provide free dental services to vulnerable adults, school children, and, in theory, all children up to their 16th birthday.
They say, however, that in practice, the service focuses on working with special needs patients (adults and children), children of medical card holders, and children in disadvantaged schools.
There are fewer than 200 dental surgeons employed in the public service - just over half the target of 350 which the group says was identified as necessary in 1999.
Incoming president of the public dental surgeons' group Dr Jane Renehan blamed staffing and resource shortages in the service for what she said were “commonplace” delays of over a year for special needs patients seeking treatment.
The body said today the ballot for protest action, up to and including "appropriate" industrial action, would highlight the "disregard of the HSE for normal consultation with affected dental surgeons on reforms which impact on their areas of responsibility".
Dr Renehan said public dental surgeons had been forced to ballot their members on industrial action because of the "failure of the HSE to respond reasonably to their requests for consultation and co-operation".
“We can no longer stand by while our patients are subjected to intolerable delays and pain due to the inadequate resourcing of this service. We intend to stand up - not for ourselves - but for our marginalised patients and ensure that a spotlight is shone on the problems which HSE indifference is causing them.”