This article is from page 23 of the 2012-06-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 23 JPG
SEVEN out of every 10 Clare families have had to sacrifice their teeth in order to see them through the recession.
A survey completed by DentalCover.ie has revealed that 73 per cent of Clare families have decreased the number of yearly visits to the dentist since the recession started in 2007.
Indeed, only 32 per cent of Clare people surveyed said that they were able to visit the dentist at least once a year.
Money was indicated as being the biggest factor for preventing Clare people from attending the dentist with 64 per cent of those surveyed, saying that a check-up fee of € 60 would prevent them from visiting the dentist.
One of the main areas to be cut back has been dentistry for children, with the majority of young Clare people not visiting the dentist until after they begin primary school.
“Worryingly, more and more children are now presenting with large cavities that can only be dealt with by extraction and often requiring general anaesthetic,” said Ger Gavin, Chief Dental Officer at Dentalcover. ie.
“As well as being an unnecessary ordeal for young children and expense for the family, it can make children reluctant to attend the dentist in the future. All children really need to attend a dentist in the first two years of their lives.
“It’s at this stage that the dentist can identify and remedy any unhealthy dietary habits or inadequate oral hygiene routines. This establishes a healthy relationship where children are associating dentistry with preventive dental care.”
Separate research has also indicated that the recession may be having another negative impact on Clare teeth as a result of an increase in the frequency of teeth grinding.
More than 30,000 Clare people suffer with bruxism, more commonly known as tooth grinding, and dentists have reported a dramatic increase in the number of patients presenting with the condition since the economic downturn.
“Those figures mean up to 1 million people in Ireland alone may grind their teeth. This is a much higher figure than many people would expect and one that is likely to rise if present trends continue,” said Dr Padraig McAuliffe.
“As many of these people mainly grind their teeth during sleep, they may not realise it is happening until they start to notice some signs – most commonly, tenderness or stiffness of the jaw in the morning, headaches and wear or damage to the teeth.”