The Dental Council established and maintains a Register of Dental Specialists in Orthodontics in exercise of its powers under the Dentists Act, 1985. In this context, it has recognised the Irish Committee for Specialist Training in Dentistry as a body within the State to advise it on the granting of evidence of satisfactory completion of specialist training. This committee fulfils its role through its Specialist Advisory Committee, SAC, in orthodontics.
Prior to the establishment of this register of dental specialists, specialist training in Ireland was approved by the SAC of the UK based Joint Committee for Specialist Training in Dentistry. This committee is representative of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Great Britain. In 1999, the SAC approved the provision of 12 places for trainees involved in the specialist dentist in orthodontics training programme of the Dublin Dental School and Hospital.
Six dentists from the Eastern Regional Health Authority, North-Eastern Health Board and South-Eastern Health Board commenced their training in October last for specialist dentist in orthodontics qualifications. In addition, my Department has funded the appointment of a director of specialist training for the Irish Committee for Specialist Training in Dentistry through the Postgraduate Medical and Dental Board. The director has taken up duty; he is currently liaising with the two dental schools in Dublin and Cork and the consultant orthodontists of the regional orthodontic units in the health boards on the provision conjointly of specialist training programmes in 2002. In this regard, the Dublin Dental School and Hospital intends providing specialist training in orthodontics for an additional six trainees from the health boards in 2002, subject to the requirements laid down by the Specialist Advisory Committee on orthodontic consultant staffing.
Three dentists from the Western Health Board and North-Eastern Health Board are already in specialist training for orthodontics and this brings the total number of dentists in such training for these health boards to nine.
My Department has also funded the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics at Cork University Dental School to facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualifications in orthodontics. Applications for the post were invited when it was advertised on 19 October last. Capital funding of approximately £1 million, 1.27 million, was also provided to the orthodontics unit there for its refurbishment to an appropriate standard.