John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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488. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider allowing dental hygienists to set up a practice in their own right and independent of a dental practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60912/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Currently, in accordance with the Dentists Act 1985, a dental hygienist can work to the treatment plan outlined by a dentist, who first examines the patient. Dental hygienists provide preventive focused oral health care to children and adults, of all ages. Within their current scope of practice, hygienists can play a key role in alleviating waiting lists.

In the period since the existing dental legislation was enacted, the National Oral Health Policy has been published. The policy supports a triage system which would allow a dental hygienist to assess the patient initially and considers the value of a more extended scope of practice. Such a system would further improve access for the public to preventive care and service providers such as the HSE could then incorporate the extended scope of practice for dental hygienists into their services.

The Deputy should note that work has been undertaken by my Department to review direct access and the scope of practice of various oral healthcare professionals including dental hygienists. This work is being integrated into a wider framework of implementation of the national policy which in tandem must also progress strategic workforce planning to support the substantial reform objectives of the policy.

The outcomes of this work will allow the formulation of a policy position on whether certain designated oral healthcare professions, including dental hygienists, can provide oral healthcare services without being supervised by a dentist once they are working within their scope of practice.