IT WILL be mandatory for all dentists to display their fees from the beginning of June in a place where patients can view them before a consultation.
The announcement was made by the Dental Council, which regulates the dental profession, yesterday. Its president, Dr Eamon Croke, said the displaying of fees would become mandatory under a new code of practice for all dentists. Failure to display fees may lead to fitness to practise proceedings.
Dentists’ price lists must be accurate, legible and up to date and must contain at least 16 items including six fixed-price treatments such as the fee for an examination, diagnosis and treatment plan and the fee for a visit with a dental hygienist. A further 10 treatments are to be listed with a corresponding fee range, indicating both the minimum and maximum costs attaching to each. These must include prices for routine extractions, root canal treatment, crowns, fillings and dentures.
The move is likely to result in greater competition between dentists and more patients shopping around.
Dr Croke said the council had developed the code to promote transparency and enhance public confidence in the dental profession. “Patients will be able to check fees in advance for a range of treatments including examinations, X-rays, routine and surgical extractions, root canal treatment and crowns.”
The news has been welcomed by Minister for Health James Reilly and the National Consumer Agency, which last year conducted a study which showed only 32 per cent of dentists displayed a price list on their premises.
Ann Fitzgerald, chief executive of the agency, said its survey highlighted serious gaps in the information available to consumers to enable them to make informed decisions when choosing dental or GP care. “At the time, the agency called for greater transparency in this important area of consumer expenditure and we have worked with the respective bodies to encourage the development of a code of practice around price display. Today’s announcement marks the culmination of this initiative,” she said.
She added that discussions on a similar initiative by GPs were ongoing with the relevant regulatory body and doctors’ representative groups.
Dr Ronan Boland, chair of the GP committee of the Irish Medical Organisation, said the matter was under active consideration.
Last year’s survey by the consumer agency indicated 50 per cent of doctors were not displaying prices.
Members of the public who are concerned about the non display of fees by dentists after June 1st may contact the Dental Council, which has also published information on its website (dentalcouncil.ie) aimed at assisting the public to choose a dentist at home or abroad. The Irish Dental Association, which represents 2,000 dentists around the country, said its members would be happy to display their fees in the agreed, uniform format.