The number of Health Service Executive-funded treatments under the Dental Treatment Service Scheme fell by over 16% between 2013 and 2016, according to new figures.
The figures from the Central Statistics Office reflect cuts introduced in recent years to previous entitlements for cleaning, x-rays, root canal and other care.
The recent Oireachtas report on The Future of Healthcare found that the scheme was cut by around €17m as part of austerity measures.
It said that as the scheme now operates, virtually no treatments except extractions and emergencies are carried out and orthodontic services have been severely diminished.
The latest CSO data shows there were 1,025,000 HSE-funded dental treatments last year, compared with 1,227,000 in 2013.
Oral examinations are the most-commonly carried-out dental procedures, followed by restoration using amalgam filling.
Exodontics, the removal of a tooth or teeth, has remained relatively constant at around 9.8% of all treatments, the CSO says.
The average cost of a dental treatment fell from €52.83 to €51.04 between 2013 and 2016.
The South HSE region has the highest number of publicly-funded dental treatments, while the lowest number are carried out in the Dublin North East Region.
Irish Dental Association Chief Executive Fintan Hourihan has said there is a dire need for an emergency plan to address what he called Ireland's oral health crisis.
The association said it wrote to the Taoiseach and other ministers in recent weeks seeking an "urgent cross departmental approach" to dealing with the issue.
It also expressed concerns that curative treatments – such as extractions, fillings and dentures - significantly outnumber preventative treatments.
