Vol. 485 No. 4
142 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason it is not possible for a child attending second level school to be treated as an emergency patient for orthodontic treatment due to the fact that his parents are not holders of a medical card. [23529/97]
Statutory entitlement to orthodontic treatment services is established under section 67 of the Health Act, 1970.
Section 67 provides, inter alia, that a health board shall make available for children attending national school a dental treatment service and dental appliances in respect of defects noticed at a child health examination.
Children with orthodontic defects coming within guidelines issued by my Department are selected for treatment. Selection of cases for treatment is based on the severity of the defects.
