Dr. Rory Boyd:

There is a sweet spot within orthodontic treatment, especially for those with more severe disease, where we can capture the growth spurt in and around the age of 12. We can get information on the length of the HSE waiting list for the Deputy but it is years. If we miss that sweet spot - that growth spurt - the treatment given to those patients would be inferior to that if they had been able to avail of treatment earlier.

It is important to realise when we will be able to get the numbers with regard to the waiting lists. There is no doubt that they are too long, however, and the length of those waiting lists for orthodontic treatments will impact on the care of patients.