Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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At present, the HSE Public Dental Service provides a screening and necessary treatment for children approximating to second and sixth class and, in some cases, fourth class. Emergency care is provided for children of all ages up to 16 and for those with complex and additional needs.

There are challenges in the provision of oral healthcare services and patients of all ages are waiting longer than they should have to, to access care. I am responding to this by an unprecedented allocation of an additional €15 million in Budget 2023 to enhance the provision of oral healthcare services. This includes €5 million allocated on a one-off basis to support the HSE Public Dental Service to provide care this year, including to address backlogs in the targeted primary school programme.

In the longer term, the Government recognises that substantive reform of oral healthcare services is required, as set out in the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte. The Policy sets out that all Irish people will have their own ‘dental home’ where they build a life-long relationship with a local dental practice or practices of their choosing for continuity of care from birth to old age, reflecting how services are provided in general medical practice. For the majority of the population, this ‘dental home’ will be a local general dental practitioner. General dental practices who participate will have a State contract reflecting how general medical services provide care for children. Therefore, parents will be able to choose where and when to bring their child to access crucial, prevention-focused oral healthcare.

€4.75m has been allocated in Budget 2023, as part of an unprecedented additional allocation of €15m for oral healthcare services in 2023, for the development and roll-out of these comprehensive oral healthcare packages to the first cohort of children, aged from birth to 7 years.