Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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664. To ask the Minister for Health if there are plans in place to help persons with the huge cost of dental treatment in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48381/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Emergency dental care for children under 16 is currently provided by the Public Dental Service of the HSE free of charge. In addition, targeted screening and prevention is provided for school children at certain dental developmental milestones and for special needs groups.

The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental treatments to medical card holders aged 16 and over. Additional funding of €10 million was secured in Budget 2022 to provide for expanded dental health care in the Scheme, including the reintroduction of Scale and Polish. Services available annually, without prior approval of the local HSE Principal Dental Surgeon, currently include an examination, cleaning (scale and polish), two fillings and emergency extractions. Other more complex care is also provided some of which requires prior approval by a Principal Dental Surgeon. Patients with special needs and high risk patients can avail of a broader range of treatments.

The Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme (DTBS), which comes under the remit of the Minister for Social Protection, provides a free oral examination once in a calendar year. It also provides a payment towards either a scale and polish or periodontal treatment, if clinically necessary, once in a calendar year. Eligibility is based on a person's PRSI contributions.

My Department has no role in the setting of fees charged by independent dentists to their private patients. It should be noted that tax relief can be claimed for non-routine dental expenses.