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Dental Services Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2014

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Questions (690)

Ruth Coppinger

Question:

690. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health if he will report on the waiting times in the Dublin Dental Hospital; his views on the provision of the acute dental services in the State; and his views on whether they are adequate for the present and future needs of the population [29142/14]

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Written answers

The Dublin Dental Hospital's mission encompasses the education and training of students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, research and treating patients. The HSE has a Service Level Agreement with the Hospital and provided €5.820m to the Hospital in 2013. Patients are accepted from all counties and services include:

- Accident and Emergency - 'walk in' and 'out of hours' - 7 days a week

- Secondary care provided by undergraduate and postgraduate students and

- Specialist and tertiary care provided by consultants and multidisciplinary dental teams for special needs patients and patients who require special care.

At 1 June 2014, there was a total of 6,009 patients on waiting lists for either assessment/screening or treatment, of which 758 were waiting for over one year with the longest waiting time of eighteen months. A small number of cases are awaiting theatre slots in general or paediatric hospitals because of their needs. Waiting times vary based on referral type and needs of patients. All referrals are assessed by a lead clinician and if deemed urgent every effort is made to see the patient within a number of weeks. Routine referrals waiting times can range from six months to over one year. Patients suitable for treatment by undergraduates are normally treated within one academic year. Over 91,000 treatments and over 23,000 diagnostic procedures were carried out in the Dublin Dental Hospital in 2013. The HSE also has a Service Level Agreement with Cork Dental School and Hospital.

Under the Dental Treatment Services Scheme for adult medical card holders the HSE makes available, through contracted dentists, free emergency dental treatment with a focus on relief of pain and sepsis to all eligible patients. The HSE National Service Plan 2014 made provision for an additional €12m for the DTSS in recognition of the growth in eligibility. Emergency care for children up to 16 years of age and treatment for special needs patients are among the priorities for the Public Dental Service of the HSE through its dental clinics. The Department has begun a three year project to develop a new national oral health policy. The project will have three key parts - a needs assessment, a review of resources and a consultation on new ways of delivering oral health services.

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