Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

1200. To ask the Minister for Health the number of 5A waiting list patients seen in the CHO7 area under the HSE orthopaedic treatment waiting list initiative in 2024. [24384/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The HSE Orthodontic Service provides treatment and is limited to those children with the most severe and complex orthodontic treatment needs. Referral for orthodontic assessment is usually made at the 6th Class oral health examination. The Modified Index of Treatment Needs (Modified IOTN) system is used in all regions to determine if a patient will be accepted for treatment. There are a number of categories within the Modified IOTN system, and these are used to prioritise care. Children whose treatment need is assessed as being in Grade 4 or Grade 5 of the Index are offered treatment with the HSE. No medical card is required for this treatment.

I am aware that there are delays in accessing public orthodontic care. There has been significant investment of over €17 million between 2022 and 2024 in orthodontics treatment waiting list initiatives. These initiatives target patients who are assessed by the HSE as being within Grade 4 of the HSE’s assessment criteria and whose care can be delivered in a community setting, as well as HSE patients who need maxillofacial surgery as part of their orthodontic treatment plan. In 2024, 511 Grade 4 patients were supported to access treatment in the private sector and 77 patients received maxillofacial surgery. These successful initiatives are being continued this year through the provision of €2.85 million in funding nationally.

However, the ongoing orthodontic treatment waiting list initiative for Grade 4 patients has enabled the HSE Regional Orthodontic Units to direct a greater proportion of their internal treatment capacity to Grade 5 patients. Of the 9,062 patients in active treatment nationally at the end of March 2025, 6,395 (71%) of these were Grade 5 patients.

Not all Grade 4 patients are suitable for care in a community setting and patients may opt to refuse an offer of transfer to private care in favour of remaining on the HSE’s waiting list, most commonly due to the location of the private clinic offered versus the location of the HSE clinic.