Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:736. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost of providing free dental care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24183/23]
View answerTuesday, 23 May 2023
Questions (736, 742)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:742. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health the estimated full-year cost in 2023 of reinstating all the benefits that were available under the dental treatment services scheme before the economic crash; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24190/23]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 736 and 742 together.
The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. These services are provided by independent dental practitioners who have a contract with the HSE. As part of Budget 2010 measures, expenditure on the DTSS was capped at the 2008 level of €63 million. Consequently some treatments were limited, restricted to emergencies only or, in the case of prophylaxis (Scale and Polish), suspended. Last year Scale and Polish was re-introduced for all medical card patients along with an expansion of the oral examination to include provision of preventative advice, using €10 million awarded in Budget 2022. The cost of making changes to the DTSS or providing free dental care to the whole population would depend on a number of factors, including the underlying oral health of the population and the level of take-up of such services.The national approach to future oral health service provision will be informed by Smile agus Sláinte, the National Oral Health Policy (2019). The aim of the policy is to develop a model of care that will enable preventative approaches to be prioritised, improve access, and support interventions appropriate to current and future oral health needs. An additional €15 million has been allocated in Budget 2023 to protect access to current oral healthcare services and progress reform.