Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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322. To ask the Minister for Health if extra money has been allocated to the public orthodontic service, and her plans to improve the service. [24964/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The HSE Orthodontic Service provides treatment with the HSE Orthodontic Service 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.