Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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12. To ask the Minister for Health what steps his Department is undertaking to ensure that more dentists in the State will accept medical card patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40282/23]

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. Since May 1st 2022, there has been additional prevention treatments included and a 40-60% increase in fees across most treatment items.

Fees paid to dentists for DTSS care are aligned with other European countries which provide comparable public dental care, noting that many European countries, especially in the southern and eastern regions, don’t have a scheme in place for adults which is free at point of access. From January to July this year, 131,626 additional treatments have been provided under the DTSS, with over 24,500 extra unique patients treated when compared with the same period last year.

Where access to a DTSS dentist is difficult, local HSE services assist patients to access a dentist. In exceptional circumstances, where emergency treatment is required, the HSE can directly contact private contractors or arrange treatment to be provided by HSE-employed dentists. €5 million has been allocated this year to support the HSE Public Dental Service, including to provide this emergency care. The HSE have used this funding to increase capacity, in some cases establishing additional clinics and providing services outside normal hours.

In the longer term, the Government is committed to fundamentally reforming the DTSS through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy. The Department is working closely with the HSE to ensure the establishment of focused structures, to move forward policy implementation and develop a more modern service for medical card holders.