Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)

I acknowledge the presence in the House of the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall. I wish her well in her role. Like other Deputies, since I was elected my attention has been drawn by a number of parents to the issues of orthodontics and dental care, especially as they relate to children. When I did some research into the operation and governance of the dental profession in Ireland, I discovered that in both 2002 and 2005, joint Oireachtas committees produced recommendations on how the dental strategy in this country should be operated. Nine years on from the 2002 report and six years on from the 2005 report, the situation is no better and is probably worse. I have spoken to parents who are frustrated because their children's teeth are getting worse as waiting times increase.

I am struck by the length of time for which the position of chief dental officer has been vacant. I understand there is an embargo on recruitment into the public sector and I appreciate the implications of the filling of posts. Having said that, the need for a chief dental officer cannot be underestimated, particularly given that the Dentists Act 1985 provided for the establishment of the grade of dental therapist, as an assistant to dentists and orthodontists, in order to help the State to reduce waiting lists. Unfortunately, that was never realised. As things stand, an Irish person who receives a dental therapy qualification in the UK is not allowed to practice in Ireland. If such a person presents himself or herself to the Dental Council, he or she will essentially be asking the council not only to ratify him or her but also to ratify the course he or she studied in the UK.

The international experience in this regard is that waiting lists for orthodontic care, especially for children in their formative years, are much shorter in countries where a different strategy is pursued. There has been a reluctance to consider such approaches in Ireland, for whatever reason. It is a pity we are still in such a position, 26 years after the original legislation was passed. I understand the Dental Council is considering giving acknowledgment to a course that can be studied in the UK. It should be noted, however, that the General Dental Council in the UK currently accepts seven courses as suitable for a person who wishes to work as a dental therapist there. None of them is currently recognised in this country.

Ireland is unique in western Europe for its failure to make great headway in increasing the number of people who receive dental treatment. I acknowledge the presence in the Chamber of the Minister, Deputy Noonan. During his tenure as Minister for Health in the rainbow coalition of the 1990s, massive progress was made at St. James's Hospital in Dublin. The strategy that was applied was different from that we are used to now. A similar strategy was applied by the former Mid-Western Health Board. All of that good work disappeared with the abolition of the health boards and the creation of the bureaucratic monster that is the HSE.

Is there an appetite for dealing with this within the Department of Health, the HSE and the dental profession itself? Having spoken to some of those who work in this sector and some of the parents of children on waiting lists, it seems there is a reluctance to deal with the issue effectively.

To cite a specific case, a journal published in 2010 in Camarthenshire in Wales indicated that orthodontic therapists could treat 2,268 children in one year. This is a substantial number of children and given that rural Wales is not much different from any area of Ireland, I ask that the Minister of State examine the issue, particularly in light of the reluctance shown to date towards implementing the recommendations made by the joint Oireachtas committee in 2002 and 2005.

While I accept that we face budgetary constraints, constituents have visited my clinic to show me pictures of their children's teeth or present their children in person in order that I can look in their mouths. I am then placed in the unenviable position of having to inform them that their child may have to wait for two or three years for treatment. I ask the Minister of State to raise this matter with the Minister for Health and I look forward to a response.

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