A meeting is to take place at St Mathews School in Ballymahon next week over the planned removal of dental services from local schools as and from this weekend.
The HSE has said that the current dental clinic in Ballymahon is no longer a suitable venue for providing dental care and the loss of a dental nurse means a reconfiguration of services.
The HSE maintains the changes will actually enhance dental care for the children, because a dental surgeon and dental hygienist will be available in the Longford clinic and a new digital dental x-ray machine will also be available.
St Mathews school principal Herbert Farrell says parents of the children in the school are very annoyed at the withdrawal of the local service and there is serious concern that children may now lose out on dental care as a result of having to arrange to travel into Longford town for appointments in the future.
