Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are challenges in the provision of dental services and patients of all ages are waiting longer than they should to access care. This is not acceptable, but we are responding. This year, an additional €15 million was allocated in the budget to specifically deal with the issue. It is an unprecedented increase. Some €4 million of the allocation will target orthodontic care, prioritising those who have been waiting the longest to access treatment. Another €5 million is being invested to address backlogs in the public dental service, which invites children, usually in second and sixth classes, for a check-up with a HSE dentist, who will then provide further treatment if it is needed. The €5 million also supports the HSE to provide emergency care for adult medical card holders who are having difficulty accessing care under the DTSS.

Last May, I introduced additional preventative treatments to the DTSS and increased fees by between 40% and 60% per item across most items. This has led to an increase in the numbers of treatments provided and the number of patients being seen. We are pursuing fundamental reform of dental services, through investment in implementation of the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte. As well as all that investment, my Department is supporting the HSE to put clinical leadership roles in place. These have not been in place so far. The chief dentist in the Department made a very strong case for it as part of his budget. We saw recent coverage of CAMHS, where the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has agreed with the HSE that there will be both an administrative national lead and a clinical national lead. The national oral health policy is another national strategy were we are putting in place a similar approach to drive it on. I accept that the waiting lists in the children's service, orthodontics in particular, are too long. Significant money is being put in place and we must ensure that waiting lists reduce.

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