Duncan Smith
Question:881. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Health how far below optimum levels of staffing the HSE is of dental nurses employed by it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32634/22]
View answerTuesday, 21 June 2022
Questions (881)
Written answers
The WTE numbers for dental and orthodontic staff employed by the HSE at the end of March 2022 are as follows:
|
Staff Category/Grade |
WTE |
|
Total WTE |
807.12 |
|
Consultant Orthodontist |
11.17 |
|
Medical & Dental |
11.17 |
|
Dental Hygienist |
54.04 |
|
Dental Hygienist, Senior |
3.00 |
|
Health & Social Care Professionals |
57.04 |
|
Dental Surgeon, General |
155.67 |
|
Dental Surgeon, Principal |
24.76 |
|
Dental Surgeon, Senior |
45.33 |
|
Dental Surgeon, Senior Administrative |
22.28 |
|
Orthodontics, Specialist |
41.33 |
|
Medical & Dental |
289.37 |
|
Dental Nurse |
350.82 |
|
Dental Nurse, Senior |
61.18 |
|
Dental Surgery Assistant (unqualified) |
37.54 |
|
Patient & Client Care |
449.54 |
The nature of dental treatment requires two dental team members, typically a dentist and dental nurse or a dental hygienist and a dental nurse for each procedure. In addition, there are a number of factors that affect calculation of an optimum levels of staffing of dental nurses, including the number of surgeries, decontamination facilities and the type of service being provided in a particular location.