David Cullinane
Question:1186. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to extend free dental care for children; the timeline to deliver this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15484/20]
View answerTuesday, 14 July 2020
Questions (1186)
Written answers
The Public Dental Service of the HSE treats children up to 16, and persons of all ages with special needs, through its dental clinics. All HSE dental clinics prioritise emergency care for children up to 16, treatment for special needs patients and screening of children aged from 11 to 13 years, including referral for orthodontic services where necessary.
Smile agus Sláinte, the National Oral Health, which was published in April 2019 supports a preventive approach to oral healthcare. It includes proposals for the introduction of packages of care for children from birth to 16 years of age to be delivered by contracted local dental practices and preventive packages of care to be made available for all eligible adults at different intervals during their life course.
The timeframe for the delivery of the Policy is 2019 to 2026 and the roll-out of these packages of care will take place incrementally. An early priority of the new Policy was the roll-out of packages of care for children under 6 in 2020, however, this has been delayed because of the necessary concentration of resources at managing the current COVID-19 pandemic.