Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The legislation allowing properly qualified and registered clinical dental technicians to supply dentures directly to the public was very welcome. It offered people greater choice by addressing a situation where such treatment could previously only be done by dentists. Is the Minister aware, however, that there are only 15 clinical dental technicians on the Dental Council register? The Consumers Association of Ireland has concluded that consumers in this country are potentially exposed to unregulated and unregistered denture providers. As such, they are at risk of receiving denture treatment from persons not adequately qualified to provide it, thus very possibly compromising their oral health.

The Minister has shown an awareness of the research in this area. Is he aware that a significant number of operators who are supplying consumers directly are in breach of the law because they are not properly qualified or registered? Has he received reports of such breaches of the law? What does he propose to do to raise awareness of this problem, which is very important in terms of consumer protection? Finally, what will he do to ensure proper compliance with the law in order to ensure consumers are protected?

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