Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 24 Nov 1998

Vol. 497 No. 2

Written Answers - Dental Services.

Seán Haughey

Question:

236 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children the dental services available from the health boards for each age cohort in cases where an applicant has a medical card or where an applicant does not have a medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24528/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The current position under the dental treatment services scheme, which was introduced by my Department on 1 November 1994, is that dental treatment services will be extended to all adults with medical card eligibility on a phased basis.

In the initial phasing of the scheme which commenced on 1 November 1994 emergency dental treatment was made available to all adults with medical card eligibility. Routine dental treatment and priority full denture treatment was made available to persons aged 65 years and over.

Under the second phase of the scheme which commenced on 1 June 1996, routine dental treatment was extended to persons in the 16 to 34 age group and the provision of full dentures to all medical card holders without any natural teeth.

Routine treatment will be extended to the remaining age groups, namely 35 to 64 year olds, at a later stage in accordance with the level of funding available for the further development of adult dental services.

All health boards also operate a priority waiting list for medically compromised persons who are given priority irrespective of age on production of a letter from their general medical practitioner. Health boards also provide dental services to non-medical card holders in special needs groups. Under the dental health action plan dental services for special needs groups are identified as a high priority for the health board services. Special needs groups include persons with a mental handicap, the medically compromised, persons in long stay institutions, the travelling community, designated refugee groups, rehabilitating drug users and any other specific target group in the community who may be recognised by the health board as having special difficulty gaining access to oral health care.

Other persons without medical cards are likely to be eligible for treatment under the dental treatment benefit scheme which is operated by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs for persons with PRSI contributions.

Dental treatment services for children are being developed in accordance with the dental health action plan. The plan provides for the extension of eligibility for dental services to children after they leave national school up to 16 years of age on a phased basis. Eligibility for dental services has already been extended to children up to their fourteenth birthday.

Emergency dental treatment for the relief of pain is currently available through the health boards for children in the 14 to 16 year old age group who have medical card entitlements. I will further extend the children's dental services up to age 16 years, as provided under the dental health action plan, according as additional resources are available to me.