Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar. Dental services for children up to 16 years of age and persons of all ages with special needs are provided by the public dental service of the HSE. These services are provided through its dental clinics throughout the country. All HSE dental clinics ensure emergency care for children up to 16 years of age, treatment for special needs patients and screening of children aged 11 to 13 years. This includes referral for orthodontic services where necessary. Other services, including screening of children aged six to eight years, are provided where possible.

Following the successful recruitment of a general dental surgeon in October 2014 and a dental nurse in November 2014, the HSE public dental service is now able to operate across all locations in Cavan and Monaghan. There were particular difficulties in Virginia, County Cavan, and in Monaghan, but these have recently been addressed. The dental clinic at Castleblayney was decommissioned several years ago as part of network area reforms. This coincided with a reduction in dental surgeons employed across the Cavan and Monaghan area between the end of 2006 and 2010, including the loss of a dental surgeon at Castleblayney. Retirements, including the early retirement of the dental surgeon in Ballybay in 2011, added to the pressures on the service. Despite these severe difficulties, a level of dental service was maintained and provided at Ballybay and Carrickmacross into 2014. A new dental team was recruited and routine dental services resumed at Carrickmacross in October 2014. With a dental nurse member of the new dental team assuming duties in November 2014, routine services at Ballybay are once again being provided. The service, which is based in the dental clinic in the health centre in Ballybay, caters for the Ballybay and Castleblayney areas, for a number of national schools and also provides emergency care to eligible adolescents aged up to 16 years of age attending secondary schools in Ballybay and Castleblayney. To date the service has been following up on recall-review appointments and providing emergency care. Service frequency is two to three days a week, Monday to Wednesday, inclusive.

The service has arrears to deal with concerning children aged 11 to 13 who were in sixth class in the school year 2013-2014.

Accordingly, screening is being completed in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, and arrangements are being made to commence screening of such children in Virginia, County Cavan. It should be noted that the HSE public dental service in the Cavan-Monaghan area is not merely a school dental service as the service remit includes dental paediatric specialist care in Cavan General Hospital and Monaghan hospital, for children with special needs who are medically compromised. It also includes a dental general anaesthetic service at Cavan General Hospital for routine paediatric extraction cases, paediatric services and adult special care, oral health promotion service and care for adults with special needs.

I wish to assure the Senator that the HSE is committed to continuing to address the service challenges in providing these important primary care services in Cavan and Monaghan.