Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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316. To ask the Minister for Health the plans to address the HSE orthodontist waiting list, currently at five to six years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54134/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have the greatest level of need and have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. Referrals for HSE orthodontic assessment are made at the sixth-class oral health assessment appointment, if the dentist determines that the child may meet the HSE's criteria. All referrals to the HSE Orthodontic Unit are assessed by an orthodontist using standardised clinical criteria. Children whose treatment need is assessed by a HSE orthodontist as being Grade 4 or Grade 5 according to the HSE’s criteria are offered treatment through the HSE. No medical card is required for this treatment.

However, there are currently delays in accessing this service and the HSE has put in place a number of measures to address waiting times. These include treatment waiting list initiatives, services improvement initiatives and access to orthodontic services outside the jurisdiction for patients who meet the HSE's criteria.

In particular, there has been significant investment of €17m between 2022 and 2024 to support access to children’s orthodontic treatment. This funding has seen the creation of a new initiative supporting access to jaw surgery for orthodontic patients and the transfer of over 4000 patients into private, community-based orthodontic treatment. These successful initiatives are being continued this year through the provision of €2.85 million in funding nationally. Through this initiative, in 2025, 144 patients have been transferred to private orthodontic care and 51 patients have received jaw surgery as part of their orthodontic treatment.

In the long term, the Government is committed to fundamentally reforming oral healthcare services, including children's orthodontic services, through implementation of the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte. Budget 2025 allocated €2m for 2025, increasing to €4m in 2026, to continue the implementation of the National Oral Health Policy. This investment is going to provide an additional 15 dental staff across dentists and dental nurses to deliver oral healthcare services. The HSE is also progressing recruitment of 34.7 vacant oral healthcare whole-time-equivalents.

An implementation plan for the first phase of policy implementation to end-2027 is currently being finalised by my Department and the HSE.