David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before Mr. Hourihan brings his colleague in, I want to reinforce some of what I said with data I received in reply to parliamentary questions on orthodontic and dental waiting times in the public system. It is also a significant issue. For example, more than 104 children with special needs have been waiting for more than a year. Some 1,500 children are on the waiting list for dental extractions under general anaesthetic, which I assume is an emergency. Hundreds of those children have been waiting for longer than a year, or two years, in some cases.

The orthodontist wait times are staggering. Of 15,338 people waiting on orthodontic treatment, 2,439 of those have been waiting for more than four years. It seems the south-east is the hardest hit area in terms of regional disparities. Is that adding to the problem?

Not only is the decrease in funding a problem, but dentists are dropping off the contract, not providing the preventative service that is required and waiting until something gets serious. If someone needs orthodontic treatment, he or she will be on a waiting list of anywhere from one to four years or longer. These statistics come from information I received through parliamentary questions. Do they tally with the witnesses' analysis of how difficult it is to ensure a pathway to more urgent treatment?