Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have just had a back-and-forth discussion on this issue with Deputy Murnane O'Connor.

Good progress is being made. I know there are still parents who are anxiously waiting. I fully accept that and we must get to all of these children. It is important to note that in the lifetime of this Government, the number of children waiting has fallen by 44%. That is great to see. In the Dublin and mid-Leinster region, there has been a reduction of nearly 80% in the number of children waiting. There is good momentum.

This is being done through various streams. It is through public funding obviously and then, as the Deputy rightly identified, we have made significant money available over the past number of years for private care because we need to get these children seen.

We invest a little over €200 million every year in public oral healthcare services. An additional €17 million in one-off funding has been invested in recent years.

In the longer term, the national oral health policy sets out a complete transformation of oral healthcare services and the expansion of the care available for children and adults. I recognise that children are still waiting too long. We are on our way to bringing those waiting lists right down to meet the agreed all-party targets.

For children, the HSE is developing comprehensive, prevention-focused oral healthcare packages, starting with those aged from birth to two years of age. Those are being supported by nearly €5 million in additional funding.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

This will support children to attend a local dentist from birth, representing a significant expansion of care compared to the current model, which centres on three examination appointments starting at the age of seven.

For adult medical card holders, €10 million in additional funding supported the introduction in 2022 of additional preventative care to the dental treatment services scheme and a substantial increase in fees. This has increased both the number of patients seen and the treatments provided. The HSE is currently developing the clinical aspects of new packages of preventative care for DTSS patients as the first phase of reform of the medical card scheme.

See this speech in context