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Health Board Services.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 December 2004

Thursday, 2 December 2004

Questions (105, 106)

Olivia Mitchell

Question:

85 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if she is satisfied with the dental treatment of children provided by health boards; her views on the service; her plans to extend the service by asking private providers to look after children’s dental needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31759/04]

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Enda Kenny

Question:

119 Mr. Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the dental services which are available to school-going children; the dental work which is the responsibility of the State regarding school-going children; if her attention has been drawn to problems with this service nation-wide; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31771/04]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 and 119 together.

Statutory responsibility for the provision of dental services to eligible persons rests with the health boards or authority in the first instance. Under section 67 of the Health Act 1970, the children eligible for health board dental services are pre-school and national school children in respect of defects noted at child health examinations. Child health examinations are provided by health boards to children attending national school in accordance with section 66 of the Health Act 1970.

All health boards have adopted a planned targeted approach to the delivery of dental services to national school children; this ensures the optimum use of dental resources, and equal access for all national school children to the same level of dental care. My Department, in conjunction with the health boards or authority, and University College Cork, is carrying out a survey of the oral health of the general population in Ireland, the national survey of adult and children's dental health. The results of this survey will inform future policy decisions with regard to dental health policy for adults and children.

Children in specific classes in national school, usually second, fourth and sixth class, are targeted for preventive measures under the school based approach; the children in these classes are screened and referred for treatment as necessary; and the programme has been specifically designed to ensure that children are dentally fit before they leave national school. The screening provided in second, fourth and sixth classes ensures that follow-up appointments for examination, treatment or orthodontic review are made, as necessary, with the dental surgeon in the clinic designated for the particular schools.

The Health (Amendment) Act 1994 amended the Health Act 1970. The regulations made under this Act — the Health (Dental Services for Children) Regulations 2000 — extended eligibility for free primary dental care to all children under 16 years of age, who have attended national school. Additional funding of over €5 million has been provided to the health boards or authority for this extension of eligibility. However, treatment is provided within the resources available to the health board or authority. This means that along with the national school screening and treatment programme provided systematically by the health boards or authority, emergency dental treatment may only be available on demand.

Primary dental care for adult medical card holders — persons aged 16 years or over — is provided under the dental treatment services scheme. This dental care is provided free of charge to medical card holders. In the main, private dental practitioners participating in the scheme under contract arrangements with health boards provide this dental care. Salaried dentists from the health boards also provide some services under the scheme.

Question No. 86 answered with QuestionNo. 76.
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