asked the Minister for Health when dental braces will be provided for a child (details supplied) in Finglas, Dublin as he has been on a waiting list for seven years; and if he will recommend that he be referred to the Dental Hospital.
Written Answers. - Orthodontic Treatment for Dublin Child.
872.
Following a dental examination in January last the name of the child in question was placed on the Eastern Health Board's waiting list for orthodontic treatment. The child is due to be examined in September-October next by the health board's visiting orthodontic specialist who will assess the gravity of the orthodontic condition. If the condition is assessed as being suitable for treatment by the principal dental surgeon at the Finglas clinic then the child can receive treatment fairly quickly. If, however, the condition is a complicated one requiring the services of a specialist orthodontist then the treatment will have to be carried out at the Dublin Dental Hospital. At present there is a long waiting list for treatment at the Dublin Dental Hospital and it is not possible to say when the child's treatment might commence.
Five new posts of consultant orthodontist have been approved for the public dental service and one of these posts is in the Eastern Health Board. I am hopeful that it will be possible to proceed with the filling of these posts soon and this should greatly reduce the waiting time for orthodontic treatment.