A patient seeking the names of dentists still co-operating with the State-sponsored dental treatment benefit scheme in her area was given a list by Department of Social and Family Affairs staff which included the names of deceased dentists, it has emerged.
The Department apologised for the incident last night.
It had been urging patients to contact it for names of dentists operating the scheme since a majority of dentists withdrew last August in protest at the fees being paid by the Department.
Under the scheme people who pay PRSI are entitled to free or discounted dental treatment.
Since the dispute began the Department has refused to publish the names of dentists where patients can still avail of PRSI-funded treatment. A spokeswoman said it would be "unfair" to those "still honouring their contracts" to publish the list. She would not even say how many dentists were on the list.
The general secretary of the Irish Dental Association, Mr Donal Atkins, is sceptical about the reasons for the Department's failure to publish the list.
He highlighted the case of the woman who, when she sought details of dentists in her area on the list, was given 18 names. "To my certain knowledge five or six of them were deceased and at least another three or four were listed as co-operating with the scheme when they are not."
The Department's spokeswoman accepted this occurred but she said the list handed out in error had been compiled before the dispute began. "Unfortunately, it did have names on it of dentists who are deceased. I apologise for this. It was made known to us and we rectified it immediately. It was an isolated incident," she said.
The Department was now using an up-to-date list but it could not be published, she insisted. She advised patients to phone: 1890 400 400 extension 4480.
Mr Atkins urged the Department to publish the list "in the interests of transparency".
There are 2,000 dentists registered in the State with about 1,500 of them in active practice. The IDA believes about 800 had contracts with the Department before the mass withdrawal last August.
Since then the dispute has been deadlocked. The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, offered to set up an independent review or go to independent arbitration to end the dispute but this was rejected by the IDA. She urged the IDA yesterday to reconsider its rejection.
Mr Atkins said the association wanted a face-to face meeting with Ms Coughlan to try and resolve the impasse.
The Minister, in a statement, said: "Officials at my Department are always willing to meet the IDA to resolve this situation, and I would consider meeting the IDA."
She reiterated that patients who paid non-co-operating dentists full fees during the dispute would not be entitled to a refund later.