Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2003

Vol. 560 No. 1

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Michael Ring

Question:

734 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the length of time of the waiting list for orthodontics in the Western Health Board region in view of the initiative that was put in place in November 2001 with extra staff taken on; the number of people that are on the waiting list for treatment and the waiting list for assessment; the number of extra orthodontists that have been taken on in the region; the grade in this regard [2060/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services on a national basis, including those services provided in the Western Health Board area.

The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. This year, my Department and the health boards are funding 13 dentists from various health boards – including two from the Western Health Board – for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at two separate universities in the United Kingdom. An additional €0.146 million has been provided to the Western Health Board for the training of these two dentists. These 13 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training last year and one dentist whose specialist training is nearing completion. Thus, there is an aggregate of 20 dentists in specialist training for orthodontics. The creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist is another structural measure being introduced in order to increase the number of orthodontic treatments.

In the short-term, additional funding of €6.729 million was approved for orthodontic services in 2001 of which €4.698 million was to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. The additional funding of €0.628 million allocated to the Western Health Board in 2001 for orthodontic services, includes €0.533 million for an ortho dontic initiative in the board. The chief executive officer of the board has informed me that under the initiative, the board has,inter alia, recruited an additional specialist in orthodontics. Furthermore, two specialists in orthodontics who completed their training last year, have since taken up duty with the board. This brings the board's complement of specialists in orthodontics to three, with a further part time specialist employed by the board one day per week. In addition, the orthodontic department has one specialist trainee working in the department two days per week.

Last year, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. Under the scheme, the Western Health Board received €0.465 million for the treatment of patients in this way.

The chief executive officer of the Western Health Board has informed me that the number of cases awaiting orthodontic assessment and treatment, as at 30 September 2002, was 599 and 1066 respectively. This is a reduction of 539 on the treatment waiting list in comparison with the corresponding figure at the end of the December 2001 quarter. The chief executive officer has also informed me that the average waiting time for orthodontic treatment in the Western Health Board area is 3.5 years and that 1,403 people were receiving orthodontic treatment at the end of September 2002.

For children who are placed on a waiting list for treatment, the initiatives and structural changes that I have set out above will bring about an improvement in waiting times for treatment and positively impact on the future delivery of orthodontic services in the longer term.