Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 20 Nov 2001

Vol. 544 No. 3

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

286 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of course places available for qualification as an orthodontist; the number of such places on offer in each of the past 15 years; the reason this figure has not increased to meet demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28916/01]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

The chief executive officer of the Dublin Dental School and Hospital and the head of Cork Dental School and Hospital have informed me of the following information on the number of dentists who graduated from their specialist in orthodontics training programmes:

1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
2	2	1	3	1	2	–	–	2	2

The chief executive officer of the Dublin Dental School and Hospital has also informed me that the number of dentists currently in training for specialist in orthodontics qualifications and who he expects to graduate over the coming years is as follows:

2002	2004
4	6

Eight of these trainees are being sponsored by four health boards. Equally, the North-Eastern Health Board has currently one dentist in training for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at Queen's University Dental School, Belfast. This brings the total number in such training for the health boards to nine.

Discussions on providing an additional training course at the Dublin Dental School and Hospital to commence in 2002 are also under way.

In addition, the head of the Cork Dental School and Hospital has informed me that there was one graduate from their orthodontic specialist training programme in both 1986 and 1990.

My Department has funded the appointment of a director of specialist training for the Irish Committee for Specialist Training in Dentistry through the postgraduate 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. 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.