Girl with autism faces 'frustrating' year-long wait for tooth removal

The father of a girl with autism has said he feels "frustrated and let down by the health system" after being told she will have to wait a year to have a decaying tooth removed.

Columba Mailey from Greysteel, County Londonderry, said his daughter Maisie has been in severe pain.

The five-year-old, who also has special educational needs, attends the Community Dental Team at Grangewood-Gransha Hospital.

A Department of Health (DoH) spokesperson said children “will be prioritised according to clinical indicators and the most urgent cases will be treated as quickly as possible”.

Maisie is unable to get her tooth extracted in a traditional dentist setting due to her needs.

Her dentist said she would need to go under general anaesthetic and told her parents that would mean waiting for over a year.

The Western Trust has apologised to patients and their families who are "waiting longer than we would like for treatment".

Mr Mailey told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today his daughter is unable to sit still to have dental work done and that she is non-verbal.

"The dental team identified a hole in the tooth and that the tooth had to come out," he continued.

"But because of her needs and that she would not be able to sit still, then the procedure would have to be done under general anaesthetic," he said.

He was then told that the waiting list for this was over a year which "really shocked us".

Maisie was given an antibiotic, but according to Mr Mailey it provides little relief and "when she is eating you can definitely see that it is upsetting her".

He explained that the toothache is having “a knock-on effect”.

“It's deregulating her, in terms of having to come out [of school] for two or three days."

Mr Mailey said that the community dental team and front-line staff are "amazing" and "very good with Maisie".

He said that it was the system that was letting Maisie, and children like her, down.

"To me its an equality issue. I've got nieces and nephews and I've seen them have issues with their teeth and be able to get them removed," he said.

"And whenever it happens to your daughter, they say: 'Your daughter is different and they have to get it done this way.'

"You feel that sense of inequality. It is hurtful in a way."

A spokesperson for the Western Health and Social Care Trust told BBC News NI: “Community dental staff will do their best to offer an urgent appointment to children experiencing dental pain.

“For children where the pain does not respond to antibiotics and pain relief or where the child has repeated patterns of this, staff will do their best to get them onto a dental theatre list."

The statement said lists are booked up to four weeks ahead.

It added that there is currently one paediatric surgery list a week in Altnagelvin for extractions only, which accommodates seven patients, and three lists a month in Altnagelvin for those with additional needs for comprehensive dental care.

The DoH said waiting times for tooth extractions depend on a number of factors including access to theatre space, the number of referrals and availability of staff.

A DoH spokesperson added: “Any parent concerned about their child’s condition is advised to contact their dental team for further advice.”