Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I am again raising the lack of training places for dental students. I have given these figures before. UCC takes in 25 per annum and Trinity also takes in 25 but those two colleges are then taking in non-EU students. In Cork it is 36 and in Trinity it is 21. I know the RCSI has recently opened a dental college and it is taking in 20, but that does not deal with the issue.

The Irish Dental Association identified more than two years ago that there was a shortage of over 500 dentists in the system. As the Minister of State is aware, the population has increased dramatically by over 40%. We are not able to provide the support and care that people require, in particular in the public health sector. The number of dentists in 2006 was 330. By 2022, it was down to 254. At a time when there is a huge increase in population, there has been a 25% decrease in the number of dentists working in the public sector.

The other problem in the public sector is that two thirds of positions advertised have not been filled. What is really concerning now is that we have a scenario whereby UCC applied to the Department of Health for €4.5 million to open a facility in Blackpool so that it could use it for training students, and to increase the number of students it could take in. That application was submitted in 2022. Three years later it has still not been approved. Likewise with TCD, which applied again in 2022 to take in an extra 16 Irish-EU students, but again that application has not been progressed. I understand that the Royal College of Surgeons is going to take in extra people in 2026 and 2027, but that still does not deal with the issue we currently face.

I will read from the Irish Dental Association report issued in September:

In 2023, 104,000 eligible schoolchildren in Ireland missed dental screening appointments due to a shortage of HSE public-only dentists. This represents roughly half of the eligible cohort denied vital dental appointments.

There are now barely 600 dentists actively participating in the medical card scheme nationally.

Three or four years ago more than 1,200 dentists were working privately, who were also doing public work but they have all left.

With less than 600 dentists actively providing public care, "this is equivalent to 1 dentist per 2,500 eligible patients. The huge exodus...from the scheme is forcing patients to travel further to see dentists, to wait longer for appointments..."

HSE figures from February 2022, show that there are 13,294 patients on orthodontics waiting lists, 11,088 of whom are waiting longer than a year, and 5,076 waiting longer than 3 years.

This is what we are now facing, which is the reason I am raising the issue again. I will continue to raise it until we get co-operation between the Department of higher education and the Department of Health as regards how we progress the expansion of dental training.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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It is not just dentists, it is also dental nurses and dental hygienists. We have not increased the number of places available in third level colleges and we need to deal with it before the start of the academic year in September 2026.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter again tonight. This might be the third time he has raised this issue. I can see he is determined to highlight it. The issue is important.

I am taking this on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy James Lawless. The Government is firmly committed to ensuring that our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. My Department, in collaboration with the Department of Health, the Higher Education Authority and the 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 in 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 supports the health and well-being of our population.

Until this year, approximately 60 places 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. However, I do acknowledge that due to a high level of practical work there can be material constraints on the number of students who can be accepted onto 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 a dentistry programme, to which the Deputy referred, a new bachelor of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, commencing in 2025. This new programme will follow a community-based model of dental education and will provide at least 20 new dentistry places per annum for Irish and 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 system. As evidence of this, I understand the RCSI programme will expand next year with a further 15 potential places by 2027. I think there is a further eight next year and seven the following year, to bring it to 35 in total thereafter.

I reaffirm my Department’s commitment to working with all 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. I am informed that the Department of Health is examining the feasibility of a new mid-level oral health professional grade. The outcomes of this work, due to be published shortly, may have further implications for the number and type of training places needed in the coming years across oral healthcare.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. It still does not deal with the issue of 500 posts that require to be filled and the fact we have fewer dentists working in the public sector than we had in 2006, from over 330 down to 254. The number of dentists in private practice who are offering public care has dropped from over 1,200 down to under 600. That is a huge drop.

I have given the figure of the number students who were reviewed. Some 104,000 eligible school children did not get access to dental screening and that is not going to improve over the next three to four years.

There is an issue in relation to UCC, which has looked for the €4.5 million since 2022. It is looking to increase the number of places along with TCD, which looking for approval for an extra 16 places. However, what is really disturbing is the fact the dental places exist in both TCD and UCC but we are providing the training for people who are from outside of Ireland and outside the European Union. It does not make sense.

The other issue I want to raise is the need to increase the number of training places for dental nurses and dental hygienists. There is no proposal to increase those, as I understand it, although I am open to correction. It is an extremely important area.

We have over 5,000 people waiting for orthodontic treatment for over three years. This has to be dealt with and it needs to be prioritised. I would ask that both Departments sit down and see how we can fast track the delivery of dental care to young people and to adults who require dental treatment who have to go under the public scheme. It is extremely important that we give priority to this issue.

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. I hear what he is saying. The document I have here tells me the Department of Health stated the Dental Council has reported a steady increase in the number of registered dentists since 2016 from 2,949 to 3,971 today. As of 2022, there were 2,420 practising dentists in Ireland, marking a 3.9% increase from the previous year. The number of registered dentists per 100,000 population has risen from 61 in 2019 to nearly 72 today. I agree with the Deputy that it is a modest increase and the need is very great but it is going in the right direction. There are currently about 100 dentistry graduates annually.

On the Deputy’s specific question about funding for north Cork, the Department has received a strong proposal requesting €4.7 million to establish a dental outreach centre. UCC currently admits 50 dentistry students annually, 25 EU and 25 non-EU, and this outreach centre would increase this to 60. Furthermore, the proposal allows for additional dental hygienist and dental nursing places in UCC. While the proposal is promising, it currently delivers limited increases in domestic student places. There is a clear opportunity for both Departments to collaborate further to maximize investment and expand domestic training capacity to meet Ireland's dental workforce needs.

Discussions are currently ongoing between the Department of Health and my Department to try to progress this proposal with a view to maximising Irish and EU places to obtain value for money for this proposal. Further engagement with UCC is ongoing to finalise funding and maximise Irish-EU places.