Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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441. To ask the Minister for Health the number of children in County Donegal presently awaiting orthodontic treatment; and the length of time they have been on the waiting lists [36157/15]

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 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. The waiting times for orthodontic treatment in the HSE West region, which includes Co Donegal, at the end of Quarter 2 2015 are as follows: