Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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657. To ask the Minister for Health the current position in relation to private dental practices that will no longer offer services to medical card holders; and if there are plans for this service to be resumed in the near future. [26305/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) is the national dental scheme for medical card holders over the age of 16. Services are provided by private dentists who hold a contract with the HSE. Following consultation with the Irish Dental Association, I gave approval on the 13^thof April, for the implementation of new measures to provide for both expanded dental health care for medical card holders and increased fees for dental contractors in the hope that more dentists will see more medical card patients.

The changes to the Scheme came into effect from the beginning of May 2022.

These changes to the Scheme are interim measures designed to secure services for medical card holders pending a more substantive reform of dental services to align with the National Oral Health Policy. Work on that longer-term project has already commenced.