Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I will be taking this Adjournment on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I am happy to have the opportunity to address the important issues raised by Senator Keaveney.

It is important to recognise that it is the job of each and every member of the dental team, whether in a public or private dental surgery, to play a role in implementing safe and realistic infection control procedures. I wish to reassure Senator Keaveney that the issue of controlling infection is a high priority within the dental surgeries of the public dental service of the Health Service Executive. Within the public dental service, there are four principal dental surgeons who have lead responsibility for quality and audit, health and safety and dental radiology. Under this remit, their work involves continually updating the knowledge within the public dental service of emerging issues, research and other relevant advancements in terms of infection control. They are also responsible for monitoring and enforcing overall health and safety standards in keeping with Dental Council of Ireland code of practice, and health and safety legislation. They and their other principal dental surgeon colleagues throughout the public dental service actively follow best practice in the prevention of infection.

While the responsibility to prevent infection lies, in the first instance, with each individual staff member, the Health Information and Quality Authority has the right to externally review the dental services provided in the public dental services under the Health (Amendment) Act 2007.

The Dental Council of Ireland takes a strong interest in conditions pertaining in private dental surgeries. The Dental Council of Ireland has developed a code of practice relating to infection control in dentistry which it issues to all registered dentists. This code of practice is updated by the Dental Council of Ireland based on expert opinion as necessary. Under this code dentists have a duty to take appropriate precautions to protect their patients and their staff from the risk of cross-infection. In addition, it also advises them that failure to provide and use adequate decontamination, disinfection and sterilisation facilities may lead to proceedings for professional misconduct before the fitness to practice committee of the Dental Council of Ireland.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that all their employees are appropriately trained and proficient in the procedures necessary for working safely. All dental practices are required to display a safety statement and all staff should be familiar with this statement. Employers also have a responsibility to protect staff, patients and others attending their practices. While at work, employees are required by the Act to take reasonable care for their own and others' health and safety and to comply with the health and safety requirements of their employers.

I take this opportunity to inform the House of an important related development initiated by the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, who announced last year that she plans to bring forward a new national oral health policy. This new oral health policy, the first such policy in 13 years, is being undertaken by the Department of Health and Children, in conjunction with the HSE. The development of this new policy will allow a critical examination of the many challenges and issues currently facing the dental sector in Ireland.

As part of this process of policy development, the Department of Health and Children have been examining the regulatory regime which governs the dental sector in Ireland. This examination will include consideration of a strengthening of the legal mechanisms which can be put in place to improve inspection of dental premises and ensure compliance with standards across a wide range of issues, including infection control. The development of the national oral health report will also consider the recommendations of the recent report of the commission on patient safety and quality assurance.

The Dublin Dental School and Hospital is one of only seven institutions in Ireland which has been accredited by HIQA as demonstrating excellence in patient health and safety. The dental hospital also has an innovative water-line sterilisation unit which ensures that water used during patient treatment is of the highest quality in international terms. Finally, the Department of Health and Children is committed to developing and maintaining a culture of vigilance in regard to preventing infection and to create the conditions whereby all dental surgeries are operated in line with best international practice in preventing infection.