Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 21 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 8

Written Answers. - Dental Service.

Seamus Kirk

Question:

67 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the serious shortcomings in dental treatment for medical card holders; and the plans, if any, he has to provide a scheme for certain age categories which are currently excluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22335/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): Under the dental treatment services scheme introduced by my Department on 1 November 1994 dental treatment 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 identified as a priority group and additional resources have been made available to health boards to enable them to provide dental treatment including denture treatment 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 and eligible persons over the age of 16 may attend any private dentist under contract with the health boards, if in pain and in need of emergency treatment.

The second phase of the scheme was introduced from 1 June 1996 and 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. These dentures will be mainly provided at health board dental clinics.

All health boards also operate a priority waiting list for dental treatment for medically compromised persons who are given priority irrespective of age on production of a letter from their general medical practitioner.

Routine treatment will be extended to the remaining groups at a later stage and will be considered in the context of the funds available to me for the development of dental services.