Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We had a very interesting debate with the Irish Dental Association at the Committee on Health this morning, and I have had some dealings on issues of dentistry in my constituency last year where an orthodontic practice closed, which had consequences for patients and for patient care for a time. The Irish Dental Association states the legislation governing dentistry, the Dentists Act, is antiquated and dates back to 1985. Will the Leader contact the Minister for Health to ask for a comprehensive engagement with the Dental Council on updating this legislation? The Dental Council is of the same view as the Irish Dental Association that this legislation is not fit for purpose. It was of its time and there has been a series of changes, including different specialties that very much need to be included and recognised, such as care for those with disabilities and certain other specialties.

We have very significant difficulties within the dental service at present. While the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has suggested there would be an increase in places in dental schools, which is very welcome, that measure alone will have a lead-in time of a number of years. Not all our primary school children are being seen at the three stages of primary school - second, fourth and sixth class - that were introduced in 1984. This was recommended because of reductions in the numbers of GPs involved in the scheme and the lack of dentists engaging with it. We need a comprehensive debate in this House on dentistry and I ask that the Leader engage with the Minister, as I have said, on both the updating of the legislation and for a debate on this very important topic of oral health.