Autistic girl faces ‘frustrating’ wait for tooth extraction

The father of an autistic girl has said he feels “disappointed and let down by the health system” after being told he will have to wait a year to have a decayed tooth removed.

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

The five-year-old, who also has special educational needs, attends the Community Dental Team at the Western Trust’s Gransha Park.

A Department of Health (DoH) spokesman said children “will be prioritized according to clinical indicators and the most urgent cases will be dealt with as soon as possible”.

Maisie cannot have her tooth removed at a traditional dentist because of her needs.

The dentist said she would have to go under general anesthesia and told her parents that would mean waiting over a year.

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

said Mr. Mayley BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today His daughter can’t sit still for dental work and that she doesn’t talk.

“The dental team identified a hole in the tooth and that the tooth needed to be extracted,” he continued.

“But because of her needs and the fact that she wouldn’t be able to sit still, then the procedure would have to be done under general anaesthetic,” he said.

He was then told the waiting list for it was over a year which “really shocked us”.

Maisie has been given an antibiotic but according to Mr Mailey it is providing little relief and “when she is eating you can definitely see it upsets her”.

He explained that the toothache has an “impressive effect”.

“It deregulates her, in terms of having to come out [of school] for two or three days”.

Mr Mailey said the community dental team and frontline staff were “amazing” and “very good to Maisie”.

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

“For me it’s an equality issue. I have nieces and I’ve seen them have problems with their teeth and be able to have them removed,” she said.

“And whenever it happens to your daughter, they say, ‘Your daughter is different and they have to do it this way.’

“You feel this sense of inequality. It’s kind of hurt.”

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 is unresponsive to antibiotics and pain relief, or where the child has a recurring pattern of this, the staff will do their best to get them on a dental theater list.”

The statement said lists are held up to four weeks in advance.

He added that there is currently one pediatric surgery list per week at Altnagelvin for exports only, accommodating seven patients, and three lists per month at Altnagelvin for those with additional needs for comprehensive dental care.

The Department of Health said waiting times for tooth extractions depended on a number of factors including theater access, the number of referrals and staff availability.

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