Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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338. To ask the Minister for Health if he will address the exodus of dentists from the dental treatment services scheme; his plans to deal with the long waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59947/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over.

I have been concerned that patients in some parts of the country have been having difficulty in accessing a local dentist. Therefore, following consultation with the Irish Dental Association, I introduced a package of measures from 1 May 2022 to expand the Scheme and increase the fees paid to contractors. This has led to an increase in the numbers of patients being seen and the numbers of treatments being provided under the DTSS in recent months.

I am also committed to improving access to oral healthcare services in the longer term through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, Smile Agus Sláinte. An unprecedented additional allocation of €15 million has been made in Budget 2023 to enhance the provision of oral healthcare services next year and support substantial service reform, through policy implementation. This is additional to the €148 million that is already provided for oral healthcare each year across the DTSS, the HSE Public Dental Service and orthodontic services provided by the HSE.

On top of this €15 million allocation, resources will also be made available in 2023 for new clinical leadership posts and for other supporting staff to allow substantive reform of the provision of public oral healthcare services to all ages to commence, including through work on the development of a new medical card scheme. The implementation plan for Smile Agus Sláintewill prioritise the alleviation of access issues for oral healthcare.

The HSE is available to assist anyone who is struggling to access a dentist. In exceptional circumstances, the HSE directly assists patients to access emergency dental treatment by contacting private contractors or arranging treatment through HSE employed dentists.

The €15 million additional Budget 2023 award includes €5 million to support the HSE to continue to provide this emergency care service across the country next year, as well as to provide care to the targeted primary school class programme, and preparation is underway in the HSE for the use of this funding.