Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 2000

Vol. 513 No. 1

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Nora Owen

Ceist:

481 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children the position of the Dublin dental school and hospital to provide orthodontic training programmes for staff from the Southern Health Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1864/00]

The Dublin Dental Hospital has been providing three year full-time and four year part-time specialist orthodontic training programmes for a number of years. This programme leads to the award of a Masters degree in Dental Surgery – M. Dent.CH – from the University of Dublin. Two places are awarded each year for entry to the course following a public advertisement of the programme. The course follows the guidelines of the Dental Council and the specialist advisory committee of the Joint Committee for Higher Training in Dentistry which is the recognised training authority for specialist and consultant training in dentistry of the Royal Colleges of the UK and Ireland. This mirrors the recognition and training arrangements in medical specialities.

The health board regional orthodontic units have requested a training programme for staff which falls outside the existing full-time and part-time training programme. The dental schools in Dublin and Cork together with the Royal Colleges of Surgeons have agreed to provide whatever training is required by the health boards provided such programmes are designed in accordance with the guidelines of the Dental Council and the specialist advisory committee of the Joint Committee for Higher Training in Dentistry. In this regard two trainees of the Western Health Board are undergoing a training programme in the Dublin Dental Hospital which was approved by the specialist advisory committee when it visited the dental schools and health board regional orthodontic units at the invitation of the chief dental officer of my Department.

A programme proposed for trainees in the Southern Health Board in collaboration with the two dental schools was found not to meet the required standard by the specialist advisory committee.

However, it was agreed that a programme for trainees from the Southern Health Board in collaboration with the Cork Dental School would be re-examined as soon as the recommendations of the visiting committee were implemented.
Barr
Roinn