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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 1 May 1969

Vol. 240 No. 3

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Public Dental Service.

45.

asked the Minister for Health what number of wholetime dental officers are needed in the public dental service; if he will give details of each area which is regarded as understaffed; by what number; why there is difficulty in recruiting and retaining dental officers in the public service; and if the method of recruitment and the salary offered contribute to the difficulties.

There is no generally accepted standard ratio of dentists to eligible patients from which one could calculate a definitive complement of public dental officers for each area. I am, however, continuing to build up the number of dentists employed in the public service but it will be some time before a satisfactory level of staffing is reached.

There is no evidence that there is any difficulty in retaining dentists once they have been recruited and I am glad to say that there has been an increase, during the past year, in the number of dentists entering the public service. In the circumstances I do not think that any change in the present method of recruitment or in remuneration is required.

46.

asked the Minister for Health how many public dental officers there are in the country; and if he will give a breakdown of that figure for each of the health authority areas.

As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.

Following is the statement:

Health Authority

Number of wholetime Dental Officer Posts

Carlow

2

Cavan

3

Clare

3

Donegal

6

Galway

8

Kerry

5

Kildare

3

Kilkenny

3

Laois

3

Leitrim

2

Longford

2

Louth

3

Mayo

8

Meath

2

Monaghan

3

Offaly

3

Roscommon

2

Sligo

2

Tipperary (NR)

3

Tipperary (SR)

4

Westmeath

3

Wexford

2

Wicklow

2

Cork Health Authority

19

Dublin Health Authority

32

Limerick Health Authority

6

Waterford Health Authority

6

TOTAL POSTS

140

NOTE: 22 of these posts are at present unfilled, but private dentists provide services for health authorities equivalent to what would be given by 20 wholetime public dental officers. Incidentally, the number of wholetime public dental officers at present serving is greater by 20 than the number serving 18 months ago.

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