Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 13 Nov 2001

Vol. 543 No. 5

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Dick Spring

Question:

334 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Kerry has been informed that he will not receive orthodontic treatment for four years after the date of his first appointment; and his plans to improve the service. [27862/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I recognise that the waiting times for orthodontic treatment are unacceptably long. At the invitation of my Department, a group representative of health board management and consultant orthodontists reviewed the orthodontic services. The objective of this review was to ensure equity in the provision of orthodontic treatment throughout the health boards. Following this review, structural changes are being introduced in the orthodontic services. These changes include the creation of the grade of specialist in orthodontics, the development of specialist training programmes and the creation of a grade of auxiliary dental worker to work in the orthodontic area.

Agreement has now been reached at the Health Service Employers Agency on the creation of the specialist in orthodontics grade in the orthodontic service. In addition, six dentists for the Eastern Regional Health Authority, North-Eastern Health Board and South-Eastern Health Board commenced their training this month for specialist in orthodontics qualifications. Furthermore, three dentists from the Western Health Board and North-Eastern Health Board are already in specialist training for orthodontics and this brings the total number of dentists in such training to nine. Discussions on providing an additional training course to commence in 2002 are also under way.

My Department has funded the appointment of a director of specialist training for the Irish committee for specialist training in dentistry through the post-graduate medical and dental board. The director has taken up duty and will play a pivotal role in assisting the different agencies involved in dental specialist training programmes. In addition, my Department has also funded the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics at Cork University Dental School to facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualifications in orthodontics. Applications for the post were invited when it was advertised on 19 October last. Capital funding of approximately £1 million was also provided to the orthodontics unit there for its refurbishment to an appropriate standard. My Department would welcome proposals for a specialist training programme from this university and the consultant orthodontists of the Southern Health Board and neighbouring boards.

However, it will be some time before these structural changes impact significantly on service levels. Consequently, I asked health boards to develop proposals to make an immediate significant impact on their waiting lists. An additional investment of £5.3 million, 6.729 million, has been approved for orthodontic services this year, of which £3.7 million, 4.698 million, is to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. This will enable health boards to recruit additional staff.

Furthermore, as part of the initiative, my Department is also exploring with health boards new arrangements for the treatment of patients, both by private specialist orthodontic practitioners and in out-of-hours sessions by health board orthodontists. The Southern Health Board has been allocated an additional £0.938 million, 1.191 million this year for orthodontic services, of which £0.813 million, 1.032 million, was for the orthodontic initiative. Under the initiative, the board proposes to,inter alia, recruit an additional two consultant orthodontists, one of which will be located in Kerry. Responsibility for the provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons in County Kerry rests with the Southern Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.