The provision of orthodontic care to eligible persons is the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance. The chief executive officers have advised me that at the end of the December 2001 quarter, the total number of patients on the waiting lists for orthodontic assessment or treatment was 32,767. This is a reduction of 2,746 in comparison with the corresponding figure at the end of the June 2001 quarter. The chief executive officers have also informed me there were 17,295 patients in orthodontic treatment in the health boards at the end of December 2001. This is an increase of 3,086 patients in orthodontic treatment when compared with the number of patients in treatment in May 1999. My Department has asked the chief executive officers to expedite the assessment of the 20,877 patients currently on the assessment waiting lists.
I expect that the number of patients in orthodontic treatment will continue to increase as the structural measures that I have introduced in the orthodontic services begin to take effect. These include the creation of the grade of specialist in orthodontics, the development of specialist training programmes and the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area. Six dentists from the Eastern Regional Health Authority, North-Eastern Health Board and South-Eastern Health Board commenced their training last October for specialist in orthodontics qualifications. My Department has provided €0.541 million in 2002 for specialist in orthodontics training. 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 this year 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. Capital funding of approximately €1.27 million was also provided to the orthodontics unit there for its refurbishment to an appropriate standard.