Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jun 1996

Vol. 467 No. 5

Written Answers. - Dental Service.

Willie Penrose

Question:

57 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Health the current position in relation to medical card holders who are over 35 years of age, who are seeking dentures; if cover has been extended for such dental treatment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13709/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Under the dental treatment services scheme dental treatment services will be extended to all adults with medical card eligibility on a phased basis.

In the initial phasing of the scheme persons aged 65 years and over were indentified as a priority group and additional resources have been made available to health boards to enable them to provide dental treatment services including dentures for this group. In addition emergency dental treatment for the relief of pain is available under the dental treatment services scheme to all medical card holders irrespective of age since the beginning of the scheme.

The second phase of the scheme, which was introduced from 1 June 1996, involves the extension of the scheme to provide routine dental treatment services to medical card holders in the 16 to 34 year old age group and the provision of full dentures to all edentulous medical card holders.

Full dentures will be provided to all edentulous persons with medical card entitlement. These dentures will be mainly provided at health board dental clinics. If a person with medical card entitlement is edentulous and requires dentures he/she should go to their local health board for treatment.