Orthodontic Service Waiting Lists

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 November 2014

Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Questions (115)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

115. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Health if he will provide in tabular form based on local health office/area and indicating those aged 16 and under and those above 16, the numbers waiting for orthodontic treatment at the end of March 2014, the end of June 2014 and the end of September 2014. [44395/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Health

The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to those who have been assessed and referred for treatment before their 16th birthday. It should be noted that the nature of orthodontic care means that immediate treatment is not always desirable. It is estimated that in up to 5% of cases it is necessary to wait for further growth to take place before treatment commences. Patients are assessed by the HSE Orthodontic Service under the modified Index of Treatment Need. Patients with the greatest level of need, i.e. Grade 5 or Grade 4 are provided with treatment by the HSE.

Information on waiting times is collated by the HSE by region and for the intervals as shown below only. The information is not collated by age. In general, those waiting over 4 years would be expected to be 16 years or over since they are usually referred at 12-13 years of age approximately.

The information on waiting times for treatment for Quarter 1 of 2014 is as follows:

Waiting time from assessment to commencement of treatment	1 - 6 months	7 - 12 months	13 - 24 months	25-36 months	37-48 months	Over 48 months	TOTAL
HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster	897	838	913	965	279	52	3,944
HSE Dublin North East	305	571	930	654	515	520	3,495
HSE South	567	410	835	935	566	24	3,337
HSE West	1,312	1,170	1,647	664	77	51	4,921
TOTAL	3,081	2,989	4,325	3,218	1,437	647	15,697

Information on waiting times for treatment for Quarter 2 of 2014 is as follows:

Waiting time from assessment to commencement of treatment	1 - 6 months	7 - 12 months	13 - 24 months	25-36 months	37-48 months	Over 48 months	TOTAL
HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster	1,133	779	1,060	967	294	87	4,320
HSE Dublin North East	163	626	997	757	495	748	3,786
HSE South	650	439	946	1,047	286	9	3,377
HSE West	1,257	1,220	1,496	895	115	52	5,035
TOTAL	3,203	3,064	4,499	3,666	1,190	896	16,518

Information on waiting times for treatment for Quarter 3 of 2014 is as follows:

Waiting time from assessment to commencement of treatment	1 - 6 months	7 - 12 months	13 - 24 months	25-36 months	37-48 months	Over 48 months	TOTAL
HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster	1,012	1,097	1,063	957	314	88	4,531
HSE Dublin North East	153	401	969	810	752	730	3,815
HSE South	704	506	832	958	435	33	3,468
HSE West	1,206	1,218	1,443	1,153	124	48	5,192
TOTAL	3075	3,222	4,307	3,878	1625	899	17,006

The HSE has recently established a pilot scheme in Dublin North East which will involve the use of orthodontic therapists in the treatment of a number of eligible children. In addition, over the next three years orthodontic treatment for certain categories of misalignment will be provided by a panel of independent practitioners under contract to the HSE. A national procurement process is currently underway and is due to be ready for commencement in January 2015. This initiative will especially focus on those waiting for 4 years or longer. It is expected that these changes will have a positive impact on waiting times.