Warning of steep price rises after deal with dentists

Opposition parties have strongly criticised a new deal between the Government and Irish Dental Association (IDA) on the provision of dental treatment for PRSI workers.

The Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) said dentists increased their prices during the euro changeover and could not be trusted to practise responsible pricing for fillings, which now have no price cap.

Fine Gael said the new agreement was a "bad deal for patients", while Labour said the costs for vital treatments such as fillings might now triple. The new deal affects 1.7 million PRSI workers.

The IDA said the deal was "good for both patients and dentists". Previously dentists charged a set fee for filings, payable by the customer. But under the new deal there is no cap on the cost of filings. Dentists will also be obliged to display all charges.

On Tuesday it emerged IDA members had voted to accept the new deal, which effectively ends a 2½-year dispute over fees. Because of the dispute, PRSI patients requiring treatment since last August have had to pay full fees to dentists after the dentists effectively opted out of the Government scheme when they refused to honour their contracts with the Government.

It is estimated the Government saved around €4 million in the months customers paid for their treatment. Under the terms of the new deal, that money will not be reimbursed.

The new arrangement sees dentists getting a 10 per cent rise in fees from the State. Procedures such as examination and polishing will remain free to the patient, but dentists will get a 10 per cent pay rise.

Labour's spokesman on social and family affairs, Mr Willie Penrose, said the 10 per cent increase was a "regrettable development".

"We now have a situation whereby patients who were unable to avail of treatment for two years find the basic costs have risen sharply, whilst particular vital treatments such as fillings could triple. There is no provision for the thousands who suffered whilst this dispute continued without resolution. All they are left with is the prospect of higher fees for basic dental treatment".

Fine Gael's spokesman on social and family affairs, Mr Michael Ring, described the agreement as a "bad deal for patients and a bad deal for PRSI workers".

"[The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan] has failed to secure a cap on the amount dentists can charge, so who knows what patients may end up paying in the future. Minister Coughlan and her Government regularly reprimanded the insurance companies for the poor service they provide. Yet the Government is incapable of running the most important insurance service of all, social insurance."

Mr Dermott Jewel, chief executive of the CAI, said his organisation "has a real problem with the Government agreeing a policy with dentists which focuses on there being no cap on charges for filings".

"It's giving them carte blanche to charge what they like. I don't know who is going to be able to afford the new prices. When we had the euro changeover many groups hiked their prices and the dentists were one of those groups, so nobody is going to tell me that they are now going to reign themselves in." He welcomed the fact that the Government would review the scheme.

An IDA spokeswoman said the deal was a good one for both patients and dentists. The Government would now pay a contribution for patients which it had not been paying, she said. Ultimately, competition would keep down the cost of fillings and charges would not spiral out of control.