Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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517. To ask the Minister for Health the number of children assessed at category 5 and awaiting orthodontic treatment in CHO7, by those waiting over 1, over 2, over 3 and over 4 years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3856/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As the Deputy may be aware, management and administrative grade staff in the Fórsa union in the HSE commenced industrial action on Friday 6th October. As a consequence of this industrial action, members in these grades are not engaging with political forums or processes. As a result, the question asked by the Deputy may be delayed in receiving a response directly from the HSE.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I am committed to fundamentally reforming dental services through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte, as well as addressing immediate difficulties patients are experiencing in accessing oral healthcare services.

The Policy highlights the need for strategic workforce planning, to ensure a sufficient number of appropriately trained oral healthcare professionals, to include dentists, dental hygienists, dental nurses and other auxiliary grades. I support the creation of additional capacity in higher education, including in oral healthcare. The Higher Education Authority is undertaking a process to identify a set of options to achieve this important step towards health workforce sustainability for Ireland.

Additional investment in oral healthcare services last year enabled the HSE to deal with backlogs in the HSE Public Dental Service which provides services to children. The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS), which provides services to adult medical card holders, also experienced an increase in activity in 2023. An additional 154,864 treatments were provided with over 26,700 extra unique patients treated when compared with 2022. This follows the expansion of the Scheme in 2022 to include additional prevention treatments and a 40-60% increase in fees paid to dentists across most treatment items.

Orthodontic patients are also benefitting from additional investment. Under a private procurement initiative 2,154 patients were transferred into private care in 2023. For orthodontic patients who require surgical input, the HSE is developing a model of care for oral and maxillofacial surgery through the National Clinical Programme for Surgery. In 2023 surgery was procured for 41 patients waiting over 4 years for jaw surgery, which requires a lengthy hospital stay.

Officials in my Department will continue to work with the HSE to continue to reduce waiting lists and ensure the implementation of necessary reforms.

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. Services available annually and on demand include an examination including preventative elements, two fillings, emergency extractions, and a scale and polish. More complex care, such as additional fillings, dentures, and a broader range of treatments for patients with additional needs and high-risk patients are available subject to the approval of the local HSE Principal Dental Surgeon.

Since May 1st 2022, there has been additional prevention treatments included and a 40-60% increase in fees paid to dentists across most treatment items. In 2023, 154,864 additional treatments were provided under the DTSS, with over 26,700 extra unique patients treated when compared with 2022.

The Government is committed to fundamentally reforming dental services, including the DTSS, through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte. My Department is working closely with the HSE to ensure the establishment of focused structures to drive implementation of the Policy. The HSE has appointed a Strategic Reform Lead to drive Policy implementation across the organisation and to move forward in 2024 with developing new services for both adults and children in line with the Policy. This will include work on planning new services for medical card holders.

While it will take a number of years to bring reform to complete fruition, there will be an early emphasis in implementation on addressing the current issues, including the reform of the provision of services for medical card holders.