Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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720. To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm that persons should be afforded dental treatment and appliances by the dental hospital in accordance with function 4 (b) of its establishment order, irrespective of any assessment as suitable for treatment by undergraduate or postgraduate students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58031/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Dublin Dental Hospital was established under the Dublin Dental Hospital (Establishment) Order, 1963. The three core activities of the Dublin Dental Hospital are education, clinical services and research. The primary operational goal of Dublin Dental Hospital is to not to operate a walk-in primary oral healthcare facility, but to ensure that oral healthcare professionals are trained and educated so that oral healthcare services can be provided both publicly and privately throughout Ireland.

Dublin Dental Hospital provides primary oral healthcare through undergraduate dental students working in the hospital, dental auxiliaries in outreach settings and by Non-Consultant Hospital Dentists in prisons in the Dublin area. A range of secondary and tertiary oral healthcare services are also in operation, such as oral and maxillofacial surgery. Given the nature of the Dublin Dental Hospital’s education remit, the assessment of suitability for treatment under many of these services is based on education needs and the relevant criteria are outlined for referring dentists on the Hospital’s website.

The Dublin Dental University Hospital also provides emergency care. This is a demand led service where in excess of 15,000 A&E activities occur on an annual basis. The Accident and Emergency service is limited to pain relief for people who have had a dental accident or who require emergency treatment to deal with certain specified conditions. The treatment provided aims to relieve pain and prevent serious damage until the patient can attend their own dentist.