Clare has recorded the sixth lowest spend in the country on dental care for medical card holders last month.
Calls have been made previously for ministerial intervention to deal with the dwindling participation level of local dentists in the Dental Treatment Services Scheme.
As of the end of September, HSE figures confirmed that 15 dentists in Clare were contracted under the medical card scheme.
However, of those contracted, only 9 actually provided services that month.
The latest monthly report from the health service shows that a total of €91,037 was paid to dentists in Clare last month for providing care for medical card holders.
Despite being the sixth lowest spend in the country, the figure is actually 47% higher than the same time last year when just over €56,000 was paid out by the HSE.
1,453 people were seen in this county in October, compared to the 1,103 who received care last October – a rise of 27%.
This means the average spend on each patient seen last month was €62.
