The Irish Dental Association has said that recent cutbacks will reduce the number of children that can be seen by a public dentist.
South East Correspondent Damien Tiernan reports on a warning from dentists. Watch
This, it says, will lead to a decline in the standards of oral health among children and pushes dental problems into the future making them more costly and complex to treat.
Up to three-quarters of the country's 15-year-olds suffer tooth decay, according to the Association.
The Irish Dental Association says that by the age of five between one-third and just over a half of young children suffer tooth decay.
By the age of 12, more than half of them do and by the time they reach 15 years old, three-quarters of the country's teenagers suffer tooth decay.
The Association represents nearly 1,400 (80%) of the country's dentists. It is currently holding its four-day annual conference in Kilkenny.
