Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Buckley for raising this matter. I am dealing with this reply on behalf of the Minister. Dentures and denture repairs for medical card holders are provided by contractors through the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, which provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. Denture-related items are available from both dentists who hold a DTSS contract and contracted clinical dental technicians who only provide dentures on the scheme. Services available annually and on demand through the DTSS include an 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 the approval of the local HSE principal dental surgeon.

The DTSS contract enables patients to have a new denture provided every five years, and to have denture repairs undertaken as required. Medical card holders may choose to attend any contracted dentist or clinical dental technician to access repair or replacement dentures. In response to contractor concerns regarding the scheme, the Minister approved measures from May 2022 providing for increased preventative care and increased the fees paid to dentists for most treatment items, including dentures and denture repairs, by 40% to 60%. This has increased both the number of patients seen and the treatments provided in the DTSS.

The HSE is unaware of any waiting lists in contracted practices. However, the Minister is aware that medical card holders in some areas continue to have difficulty accessing care. While there are a significant number of contract holders, appointment availability fluctuates daily according to practice demands. The local HSE principal dental surgeon may be able to provide assistance in accessing DTSS care. The HSE is required to support the provision of emergency care to adult medical card holders who have difficulty accessing a local dentist. In the longer term, the Government is committed to fundamentally reforming dental services, including the DTSS, through implementation of the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte. The policy sets out a complete transformation of oral healthcare services and expansion of the care available for both children and adults. The HSE has appointed a strategic reform lead to drive policy implementation across the organisation and to move forward in 2024 with developing new services in line with the policy. This will include work on planning new services for medical card holders. The HSE is currently developing the clinical aspects of new packages of preventative care for DTSS patients, as the first phase of reform of the medical card scheme. An implementation plan for the first phase of roll-out is being developed between the Department of Health and the HSE, for consultation and then publication in the third quarter of this year. This report will be set out by the third quarter of 2024.

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