Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 25 Feb 2003

Vol. 562 No. 1

Written Answers - Orthodontic Service.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Question:

366 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of patients currently awaiting orthodontic treatment and orthodontic assessment in County Kerry; the number in both of these categories for each quarter from December 2001 to December 2002; the number of patients on orthodontic waiting lists in County Kerry who have been treated under the national treatment purchase fund since its inception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5198/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

The provision of orthodontic services is a matter for the health boards in the first instance.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number of measures to improve orthodontic services in the Southern Health Board, SHB, area and on a national basis.

In the short-term, I have funded an orthodontic initiative to ease current pressures on the system. 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. This is enabling health boards to recruit additional staff and engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients. The SHB was allocated an additional €1.191 million in 2001 for orthodontic services of which €1.032 was for the orthodontic initiative. Under the initiative, the board propose to inter alia, recruit an additional two consultant orthodontists, one of which will be based in Tralee. The chief executive officer of the SHB has informed me that the board recently advertised this position through the Local Appointments Commission but were unsuccessful in recruiting a candidate on this occasion. The board will again consider the possibility of advertising the post at the earliest opportunity.

Last June, 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. The SHB was allocated an additional €0.720 million from this fund for the treatment of cases in this way and this is enabling the board to treat an additional 246 patients.

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 qualification in orthodontics.

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 for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at two separate universities in the United Kingdom. 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. These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area.

The number of cases on orthodontic waiting lists by county is not routinely collected by my Department. Therefore, the chief executive officer of the SHB has been requested to provide the information requested directly to the Deputy.

Finally, the chief executive officer of the SHB has informed me that at the end of the December 2002 quarter, there were 3,473 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the board. This is an increase of approximately 1,173 patients in orthodontic treatment when compared with the number of patients receiving treatment in December 2001. I expect that the number of patients in orthodontic treatment will continue to increase as the measures that I have taken to improve orthodontic services take effect.