The medical files of more than 7,500 children are being reviewed in an unprecedented official audit prompted by allegations that children were “damaged” by orthodontic services in the greater Dublin area. Some of the patients affected by the review may have to be recalled well over a decade after their orthodontic work was performed, the Health Service Executive has indicated. News of the review comes as the Department of Health prepares a long-delayed oral health policy this week. The plan is expected to propose rolling out free dental care to children from 2020, to include dental exams, fillings, emergency work, extractions and orthodontics. Critical reportThe audit of orthodontic services was begun in 2015 after the HSE received a highly critical report commissioned from two UK experts into the allegations that children’s teeth were damaged by HSE orthodontic services more than a decade previously.

Source: The Irish Times April 01, 2019 23:26 UTC