Written answers
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Department of Health
Orthodontic Service Waiting Lists
Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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442. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, based on local health offices-areas and indicating those of 16 years of age and under, and those above 16 years of age, the numbers waiting for orthodontic treatment, at the end of December 2014. [7922/15]
Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. It should be noted that the nature of orthodontic care means that immediate treatment is not always desirable. It is estimated that in up to 5% of cases it is necessary to wait for further growth to take place before treatment commences. Patients are assessed by the HSE Orthodontic Service under the modified Index of Treatment Need. Patients with the greatest level of need, i.e. Grade 5 or some with a Grade 4 are provided with treatment by the HSE.
Information on waiting times is collated by the HSE by region and for the intervals as shown below only. The information is not collated by age. In general, those waiting over 4 years would be expected to be 16 years or over since they are usually referred at 12-13 years of age approximately.
The information on waiting times for treatment for Quarter 4 of 2014 is as follows:
| Waiting time from assessment to commencement of treatment | 1-6 months | 7-12 months | 13-24 months | 25-36 months | 37-48 months | Over 48 months | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster | 972 | 998 | 1,313 | 867 | 448 | 156 | 4,754 |
| HSE Dublin North East | 283 | 477 | 1,020 | 842 | 504 | 637 | 3,763 |
| HSE South | 812 | 632 | 703 | 888 | 599 | 24 | 3,658 |
| HSE West | 1,133 | 1,131 | 1,894 | 1,096 | 112 | 60 | 5,426 |
| TOTAL | 3,200 | 3,238 | 4,930 | 3,693 | 1,663 | 877 | 17,601 |
The HSE has established a pilot scheme in Dublin North East which will involve the use of orthodontic therapists in the treatment of a number of eligible children. In addition to the services provided by HSE staff, orthodontic treatment for certain categories of misalignment will be provided by a panel of independent practitioners under contract to the HSE over the next three years. A national procurement process is being finalised. This initiative will especially focus on those waiting for 4 years or longer. It is expected that this initiative will commence later this year and will have a positive impact on waiting times.
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