Question:
237 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of orthodontists needed to meet the requirement of the waiting lists. [30429/01]
Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.
The number of children on waiting lists includes those children waiting for assessment by the consultant orthodontist. Not all children on the assessment waiting lists will require treatment. In order to identify the number of children who would benefit from orthodontic treatment using an internationally recognised index of treatment need, a survey is being carried out. This will enable an accurate prediction of the manpower required to provide this level of care. Preliminary results from this survey will be available in mid-2002.
It is clear, however, that a substantial number of additional orthodontists will be required and the arrangements for training additional staff are being put in place. Six dentists for the Eastern Regional Health Authority, North-Eastern Health Board and South-Eastern Health Board commenced their training in October last for specialist in orthodontics qualifications. Further more, 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 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. In addition, my Department has also funded the recruitment of a professor of 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, 1.269 million, was also provided for the orthodontics unit there for its refurbishment to an appropriate standard.
Question:
238 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children his plans to avail of the services of private orthodontists to clear the public waiting lists for orthodontic treatment. [30430/01]
The provision of orthodontic treatment is a matter for the health boards in the first instance. Under the orthodontic initiative, my Department recently approved a proposed scheme from the Mid-Western Health Board to engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients. My Department is presently exploring with other health boards similar arrangements for the treatment of patients.
Question:
239 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of children awaiting orthodontic treatment in primary school in the Eastern Regional Health Authority area. [30431/01]
The information requested by the Deputy is not routinely collected by my Department. Therefore, my Department has asked the chief executive officer of the Eastern Regional Health Authority to compile the information requested and to forward it to the Deputy directly.
Question:
240 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of children waiting on orthodontic treatment who come from families where a parent is a holder of the medical card. [30432/01]
The information requested by the Deputy is not routinely collected by my Department. Therefore, my Department has asked the chief execu tive officers of the health boards to compile the information requested and to forward it to the Deputy directly.