(Cavan-Monaghan) asked the Minister for Health if he will take steps to provide emergency dental services at county hospitals.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Emergency Dental Services.
29.
Emergency treatment facilities for less serious dental conditions are available at present in virtually all public dental clinics during normal working hours and can be made available by health boards outside these hours.
In addition, active consideration is being given to the further development of oral surgery facilities in Ireland. This will lead to the early provision in a number of centres throughout the country of facilities for dealing with dental emergencies whether major or minor.
I would be prepared, of course, to consider any proposals from health boards in relation to improvements in emergency services.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Is the Minister seriously saying that there are emergency dental facilities available at nearly all county hospitals. If that is so will he give some indication of the type and extent of these emergency services and how quickly they can be availed of?
The provision of general dental care tends to be organised on a nine to five basis, Monday to Friday. Where dental emergencies arise at weekends or after hours it is more difficult to obtain treatment. Major emergencies such as those arising from car accidents are dealt with by micro-facial surgeons and oral surgeons in Dublin and Cork.
(Cavan-Monaghan): What the Minister is really saying is that there are no emergency services. There is a service available from nine to five, Monday to Friday. Does the Minister call that an emergency service? I would call it a routine service.
As I mentioned in reply to an earlier question, following the receipt of a report in September 1979 from the working party on the proposals to develop the emergency services, which comprised representatives of the Department of Health, the health boards and the Irish Dental Association, active consideration is being given to the appointment of four oral surgeons to the health board dental services as recommended in the report. This would lead to the development of oral surgery services in a number of regional centres, and emergency dental services will be organised as part of the remit of the oral surgeon.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Is the Minister now saying that there are no emergency services but that some board or other are considering the provision of one? Will the Minister treat it as a matter of extreme urgency and have proper emergency dental services provided?
The original question related to the provision of dental services at county hospitals. I answered that. It is my intention to improve further the services available on a regional basis and from that point of view I will treat it as a matter of urgency.