Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 July 2022
734. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Health the number of children and adults on the dental appointment waiting list in counties Cavan and Monaghan; the average waiting times for appointments in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39093/22]
View answer866. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the number of children and adults on the dental appointment waiting list in Cork; the average waiting times for appointments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39555/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 734 and 866 together.
The HSE’s Public Dental Service provides dental services for children up to 16 years of age and for people with special needs. The Dental Service for children operates as a targeted, school-linked service, whereby children in specific primary school classes are targeted for an oral health assessment and for primary care treatment arising there from. The HSE has advised that it does not keep waiting lists for the Public Dental Service, with the exception of numbers of students in the class groups which are being targeted at any particular time.
The HSE has provided details of the number of new oral health patients in the Public Dental Service’s targeted groups who attended the service for scheduled assessment in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and to date in 2022.
Number of new Oral Health patients in target groups attending for scheduled assessment
|
- |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 (to date) |
|
Cavan Monaghan |
5,116 |
3,571 |
3,135 |
1,879 |
|
North Cork |
4,105 |
1,710 |
1,494 |
1381 |
|
North Lee |
5,175 |
2,027 |
2,791 |
2089 |
|
South Lee |
6,369 |
2,415 |
2,233 |
1617 |
|
West Cork |
1,573 |
657 |
781 |
581 |
The HSE has advised that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that only the children in 6th class (12 years and over) are being targeted at present in the Cork and Cavan-Monaghan areas. However, the service continues to prioritise the special care needs patient cohort and there is also an emergency service available to any child under 16 who is suffering from acute or chronic dental pain and infection.
