Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)

I sincerely thank Deputy Burke for raising this important issue. This is his second time to raise it in a number of weeks. It relates to the availability of dental training places in Ireland.

The Government is committed to ensuring that our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. In fact, my Department has just progressed an immediate expansion of 461 places in key health and social care professions. I know dentistry is not included, but it does show the commitment of Government to ensuring that we expand the health and social care workforce.

To come back to the issue at hand, my Department, in collaboration with the Department of Health, the HEA and higher education institutions, plays a central role in delivering the education and training infrastructure needed to meet the evolving demands of the healthcare workforce, including critical areas such as oral healthcare and dentistry. Ensuring adequate capacity to train future dentists is part of our broader commitment to workforce planning that will support the health and well-being of our population.

Until this year, 60 places, as the Deputy said, were available each year to Irish and EU students on dentistry courses. My Department recognises that this represents a limited training pipeline at a time when the demand for oral healthcare, both clinical and preventative, is increasing nationally. The number of places offered is a matter for the higher education institutions in line with their autonomy. I acknowledge, however, that due to a high level of practical work, there can be material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted into dentistry courses.

While my Department does not set quotas for student places, we work closely with the Department of Health and the HEA to explore how capacity can be sustainably expanded in key health disciplines, including dentistry. In 2023, the HEA carried out a targeted capacity expansion exercise across priority healthcare areas. One key outcome was the establishment of new dentistry programmes, including a new bachelor of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, commencing in 2025, as the Deputy mentioned. This new programme will provide at least 20 new dentistry places per annum for Irish-EEA students, significantly enhancing national training capacity. This expansion represents a landmark 33% increase in student intake and clearly demonstrates my Department’s and this Government’s firm commitment to strengthening the oral healthcare workforce and supplying the graduates needed for a modern, accessible health service.

My Department and the HEA are currently liaising with RCSI as they develop capacity for further expansion of 15 additional places from 2027, subject to approvals. I reaffirm the Department’s commitment to working with all of the relevant stakeholders to ensure that any future expansion of dental education is grounded in evidence, responds to national needs and is delivered in a sustainable manner.

It is also my understanding that the Department of Health is currently conducting a scoping exercise to support a skills assessment workforce census across oral healthcare services. This will be the foundation of future policy development.

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