Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health. I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the issue of dental services for children and the dental treatment services scheme in Laois and Offaly.

The HSE public dental service provides dental care for children up to 16 years of age. This includes screening and necessary treatment for children at ages corresponding to second class, sixth class and, subject to capacity, fourth class. Emergency care is also provided for children up to 16 years of age.

At the end of July this year, the HSE had 103 whole-time equivalents providing dental services in CHO 8 across orthodontist, dentist, dental nurse and hygienist grades, an increase of five whole-time equivalents since May 2023.

The Department of Health engages with the HSE on an ongoing basis to understand and address any challenges arising in the provision of public dental services. The Minister has been assured by the HSE that it is continuing to restore dental screening and treatment to children up to 16 years of age through prioritising clinical treatment and patient groups and reallocating clinical resources according to greatest need.

The dental treatment services scheme provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. Services available annually and on demand include the examination, including preventative advice, two fillings, emergency extractions and a scale and polish. More complex care, such as dentures and a broader range of treatments for patients with additional needs and high-risk patients, are available subject to HSE approval.

In May 2022, the Minister for Health approved measures providing for increased preventative care, and increased the fees paid to dentists and most treatment items by 40% to 60%. Fees paid to dentists for DTSS care are aligned with other European countries which provide comparable public dental care. The number of patients and treatments have been increasing since the measures were introduced. Comparing the claims made by the DTSS contractors nationally from January to October 2023, 142,450 additional treatments have been provided under the DTSS, with more than 25,600 extra unique patients treated when compared to the same period last year. This includes an extra 870 patients in the Laois-Offaly area who accessed care, and an additional 3,524 treatments that were provided. HSE data indicate there are ten contractors operating in the DTSS in Laois-Offaly and all ten submitted claims in September 2023.

However, the Minister is aware that medical card holders in some areas continue to have difficulty accessing care. Where access to a dentist is difficult, local HSE services makes a list of DTSS contracts available to medical card holders. In exceptional circumstances, the HSE assists patients to access emergency dental treatment by directly contacting private contractors or arranging for treatments to be provided by HSE-employed dentists. In the longer term, the Minister recognises the need for oral healthcare needs to be modernised in line with best international evidence and practice, as set out in the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte. This work is under way for children aged from birth to seven years, using €4.75 million worth of funding awarded in budget 2023.

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