Sir, – The review of Universal Social Charge tax relief and whether there could be a better way of targeting State funding referenced in The Irish Times (“Should medical card holders still get a break on tax?” September 23rd) merits an informed debate.

Since 2008, cutbacks have seen governments spend more than €800 million less on supports for patients in meeting dental costs under the State-funded medical card and PRSI schemes. The consequences for the oral health of medical card patients have been just as harmful as dentists predicted.

Patients are having to wait longer and to travel further for dental appointments and the collapse of the (severely curtailed) dental scheme for medical card patients means their dental health has suffered enormously.

That is among the main reasons why the Irish Dental Association is advocating that the Med 2 tax relief scheme is overhauled in Budget 2026 to expand the range of treatments covered and to increase the rate of tax relief allowed to patients to improve access to dental care.

There is clearly a limited appetite for the State to spend more on the two dental schemes – in which case we would argue they should look instead at reducing the cost for patients by providing tax relief against dental bills.

This can only allow more patients to see their dentist and thereby improve their oral health which is so vital to overall general health. – Yours, etc,

FINTAN HOURIHAN,

Chief Executive,

Irish Dental Association,

Sandyford,

Dublin 18.

Rowdy behaviour at the Ryder Cup

Sir, – I was always of the belief that golf was a sport where etiquette was paramount among players and spectators alike. How wrong I was when I tuned in to the Ryder Cup over the weekend. It was akin to watching Millwall in the last century, albeit without the violence. The icing on the cake was the MC leading a raucous chant of “f**k you Rory”.

What a sad example this sets for children watching.