Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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968. To ask the Minister for Health to urgently address the lack of dentists taking on new medical card patients in Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8069/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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969. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on efforts to make dental treatment available again, free of charge, to medical card holders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8085/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides oral healthcare, 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, 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.

On foot of a meeting between the Department and the Irish Dental Association (IDA) in November 2020, officials in the Department of Health engaged with the IDA to discuss and agree a package of measures introduced from 1 May 2022, to expand the Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) for adult medical card holders and increase the fees paid to contractors for most treatment items by 40-60%. These measures have improved access to care: payments for contractor claims in 2024 show 227,691 additional treatments were provided nationally under the DTSS, with over 44,208 extra patients treated when compared with 2022.

In the longer term, the Government is committed to reforming dental services, including the DTSS, through the implementation of the National Oral Health Policy (NOHP), Smile Agus Sláinte and has included implementation of the Policy in the Programme for Government. The implementation plan for the first phase of policy implementation, to end-2027, is currently being finalised by my Department and the HSE, on foot of targeted external consultation in Q3 last year, and includes reform of services for medical card holders as one of several priority actions.