Pearse Wyse
Question:240 Mr. Wyse asked the Minister for Health the total number of medical card holders or their dependants currently awaiting orthodontic treatment in the Southern Health Board area.
Written Answers. - Orthodontic Treatment.
Children seen by the Southern Health Board's school dental service are referred for screening for orthodontic treatment in accordance with guidelines issued by my Department. There is no differentiation between children who are covered by medical card, and others in the school dental service and consequently the number of children covered by medical cards is not readily available.
The following is the current waiting list in the Southern Health Board for children awaiting orthodontic treatment.
|
Category |
Category |
Category |
|
A |
B |
C |
|
Nil |
337 |
10 |
Awaiting Assessment 760
Approximately 40 per cent of the population of the Southern Health Board have medical card eligibility.
The specialist orthodontic service is at present being provided by a full-time consultant orthodontist and by two private orthodontists on a sessional basis recruited to the board's service. The Southern Health Board recently reached agreement with University College Cork and Cork Dental Hospital under which an agreed level of orthodontic treatment will be carried out at Cork Dental Hospital.
A primary role of the consultant orthodontist is to organise and carry out a programme of education and training in orthodontic procedures to specialist and sub-specialist level for health board dental staff. This will make further improvements in service levels.
My Department provided extra funds to the Southern Health Board in 1990 and 1991 specifically for specialist orthodontic treatment. Altogether a total of 1,981 cases received specialist orthodontic treatment in this region in 1991. The Southern Health Board's 1992 allocation includes a repeat of the special provision for the development of orthodontic services.