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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 13 Jun 2001

Vol. 538 No. 1

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

188 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people in the Western Health Board area who are waiting to be assessed for orthodontic treatment; the average length of time spent waiting on this list; the number of people waiting to be called; and the exact length of time people will have to wait to be called for treatment. [17431/01]

The provision of orthodontic treatment is the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance.

I recognise that the waiting times for orthodontic treatment are unacceptably long. Following recommendations in the Moran Report, Review of Orthodontic Services, structural changes are being introduced in orthodontic services. These structural changes include the creation of the grade of specialist in orthodontics, the development of specialist training programmes and the creation of a grade of auxiliary dental worker to work in the orthodontic area. However, it will be some time before these structural changes impact significantly on service levels. Consequently, I asked health boards to develop proposals to make an immediate significant impact on their waiting lists. Additional funding of £5.3 million has been provided for orthodontic services this year, of which £3.7 million is to fund an initiative on orthodontic waiting lists. This will enable health boards to recruit additional staff and engage the services of private orthodontists to treat patients.

The chief executive officer of the Western Health Board has informed me that the number of patients awaiting assessment and treatment at 31 March 2001 were as follows:

Assessment Waiting List

Treatment Waiting List

606

3-6 months

2,031

42-48 months

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