Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I acknowledge there are significant challenges in fully implementing the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, which provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. These services are provided by independent dental practitioners who have a contract with the Health Service Executive. I know the Deputy has spoken eloquently and has been in touch with the Irish Dental Association, IDA. The Irish Dental Association is discussing that contract and the dental treatment services scheme with the Department of Health and the HSE. The Deputy has suggested, following the lobbying of the Irish Dental Association, that an independent chair should be appointed for those talks. The reality is that there are industrial relations and contractual dimensions to this which we cannot lose sight of. That said, additional funding was provided in the budget, of €10 million more than the €56 million base for the existing level of services, so there is now €66 million for the operation of the scheme. The national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte, has been developed in consultation with all involved, and was published in 2019. The Minister at that stage meant with representatives of the Irish Dental Association in late November 2020. It was followed by discussions with officials. They have been engaging constantly with the IDA with a view to contractual engagement.

This is about a contract and we need to go into it with our eyes wide open. At the same time, there has been a reduction by more than 200 private dentists holding a DTSS contract to provide dental care to medical card holders. Approximately 1,200 contracted dentists continue to provide oral healthcare to medical card holders under the DTSS. As the Deputy said, recent figures show that there have been about 85 resignations from the DTSS so far this year. Some 81 new contracts have been issued. We are aware that more dentists, particularly recent graduates, have been joining established dental practices. Since they usually, at the outset, provide services under the contract of the practice owner, they are not included in the figures of dental contractors. The salaried public dental services will provide emergency and routine care to children under the age of 16. We want to get these issues resolved. I will again engage with the Minister for Health and the HSE about the ongoing discussions. I am mindful that with matters of this kind, we have to give space for those discussions to continue to get a resolution that is fair to everybody.

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