Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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157. To ask the Minister for Health if he is aware of persons on the orthodontic waiting list who have been screened through the schools programme but who have been waiting for treatment from the beginning of 2011; if he will deal with this issue in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10972/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. Patients are assessed by the HSE Orthodontic Service under the modified Index of Treatment Need. Patients with the greatest level of need are provided with treatment by the HSE. At the end of Q1 2016 1,229 patients had been waiting over four years for treatment. Following a national procurement process, a panel of independent practitioners is currently being contracted by the HSE to provide treatment for certain categories of misalignment. The practitioners will be under contract over the next three years, with consideration of an extension to four years. This initiative will especially focus on those waiting for four years or longer. It is expected that this initiative will have a positive impact on waiting times.

In addition, a pilot scheme in the Dublin North East area (DNE), which involves up-skilling staff to work as orthodontic therapists is currently underway. A dental hygienist and a dental nurse qualified as orthodontic therapists in September 2015 and are now working in the HSE under the supervision of specialist orthodontists. The scheme is currently undergoing an evaluation, which includes consideration of how the scheme is affecting waiting lists. Figures are currently being collated and early indications are positive. It is planned to extend the scheme after the evaluation has been completed.