asked the Minister for Health if she will request the VHI to extend insurance to cover dental care and treatment.
Written Answers. - Dental Treatment.
465.
The question of extending insurance to cover dental care and treatment is under consideration by the Voluntary Health Insurance Board.
466.
asked the Minister for Health the cost to her Department of dental treatment for eligible persons in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980 and the expected cost this year.
As the information sought by the Deputy is being supplied in the form of a tabular statement I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Expenditure on the provision of dental treatment services for eligible persons
|
Year |
Expenditure incurred by health boards |
Subvention paid directly by Department of Health to Dublin and Cork Dental Schools |
Total |
|
£(M) |
£(M) |
£(M) |
|
|
1975 |
2.209 |
.276 |
2.485 |
|
1976 |
2.620 |
.309 |
2.929 |
|
1977 |
3.164 |
.351 |
3.515 |
|
1978 |
3.774 |
.403 |
4.177 |
|
1979 |
4.609 |
.473 |
5.082 |
|
1980 |
8.000 |
.604 |
8.604 |
|
(estimate) |
(estimate) |
||
|
1981 |
8.600 |
.775 |
9.375 |
|
(estimate) |
(estimate) |
(estimate) |
467.
asked the Minister for Health if the following information is available in her Department: the average cost of (i) a dental examination; (ii) a dental filling; (iii) a dental extraction and (iv) a full set of dentures; and, if so, if she will give details.
My Department have no information concerning charges or costs in private dental practice. Neither is information available as to the cost to health boards of having the individual items of service mentioned provided by their own dental staff for eligible persons. However, under the arrangements whereby health boards may refer eligible persons to private dentists for treatment, the fees paid in respect of the items in question are as follows: Examination, history, diagnosis and treatment plan — £3.45; Fillings — Varying from £4.75 to £11.30 depending on type; Extractions — Varying from £4.60 for one tooth to £4.60 for up to four teeth in the one section
(octant) of the mouth; Full dentures— £92.40.
468.
asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied with the level of participation by the dental profession in her Department's dental care scheme.
I am generally satisfied at the level of participation by the dental profession in health board dental services.
Private dentists have been participating in substantial numbers and this has brought about a considerable and welcomed improvement in the availability of services. I would naturally like to see them involved in greater numbers especially in areas where the level of participation has been low.
469.
asked the Minister for Health the average waiting period for orthodontic treatment at the Dublin Dental Hospital.
At present, cases requiring orthodontic treatment are being accepted by the Dublin Dental Hospital only where the treatment required is of a type suitable for the purpose of training dental students, which is the primary function of the hospital. In such cases, initial assessment, the taking of impressions and x-rays and the preparation of a diagnosis and a treatment plan takes on average eight to nine months from the date of the patient's referral to the hospital. After completion of this process there is usually a waiting period of 12 months before treatment commences.
The hospital also has a number of cases on hands where the treatment required is not suitable for student training purposes. The hospital's consultants deal with a small number of these outside their teaching functions. Because of the circumstances under which they are dealt with patients in this category may have to spend lengthy periods, of the order of four years, on the waiting list.
470.
asked the Minister for Health if she is satisfied with the general level of dental care in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I have no reason to be dissatisfied with the standard of dental care provided in Ireland generally. I would however like to see dental services provided by health boards more readily available to all eligible persons. Substantial improvements in this respect have resulted since the introduction of the arrangements enabling treatment to be provided by private dentists. An increase in the number of private dentists participating in the arrangement would further improve that situation.
The difficulty of recruiting sufficient numbers of dentists to fill health board vacancies has been a major factor affecting the availability of services. There are however indications of improvements in the recruitment situation and the position should improve further when a new grade structure for health board dentists is fully implemented. Considerable improvements will be made in the orthodontic services when five orthodontist posts approved have been filled. I have also approved of the creation of five posts of oral surgeon and the filling of these will make a significant contribution to raising the level of services.
The preventive aspects of dental care are of great importance since dental diseases are most amenable to preventive measures. Fluoridation of water supplies is, of course, the most effective and efficient method of preventing dental caries. This must, however, be accompanied by education of the public in regard to the steps necessary to achieve dental health. Dental health education is an ongoing process which is being carried out by the public dental services, the Dental Health Foundation and the Health Education Bureau.
471.
asked the Minister for Health the number of specialists working full time and on a consultancy basis in the field of orthodontic treatment in the Dublin Dental Hospital.
The number of dentists working in the field of orthodontics in the Dublin Dental Hospital is as follows: full time —one Professor Consultant, one Senior Lecturer, one Registrar in training; part time — one Clinical Tutor, one Lecturer, four Visiting Dental Surgeons.
472.
asked the Minister for Health the number of dentists and dental nurses working in the Dublin Dental Hospital; and if she is satisfied with the level of staffing.
The number of dentists and dental nurses working at the Dublin Dental Hospital is as follows: Dentists — 27 full time and 36 part time; Nurses — five general trained nurses, 18 fully qualified dental surgery assistants, 11 second year dental surgery assistants and 13 first year dental surgery assistants.
The principal function of the Dublin Dental Hospital is concerned with the training of students. Treatment provided for individual patients is largely incidental to the training function which is a matter for the Minister for Education. The adequacy of the overall levels of staffing is therefore a matter for him. There are no active proposals from the Dental Hospital for additional dental or nursing staffs so far as my Department are concerned.