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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 25 Oct 2001

Vol. 543 No. 1

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

141 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of people on waiting lists for orthodontic assessment in each health board area; the number of people on waiting lists for orthodontic treatment in each health board area; and the comparative figures for assessment and treatment waiting lists for the past three years for each health board. [25697/01]

The provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons is the responsibility of the health boards and information regarding numbers placed on assessment and treatment waiting lists is maintained by the boards. The chief executive officers of the health boards have informed me that the numbers of patients awaiting assessment and treatment in their areas of responsibility at the end of the September 2001 quarter were as follows:

Health Board

AssessmentWaitingList

Treatment Waiting List

Category A

Category B

ERHA

11,781

904

Midland

377

Nil

473

Mid-Western

3,380

Nil

1,392

North-Eastern

Nil

2

640

North-Western

1,210

281

1,892

South-Eastern

257

Nil

462

Southern

5,962

Nil

4,470

Western

719

Nil

1,479

Patients are referred for secondary care orthodontic treatment in accordance with guidelines issued by my Department that prioritise need for treatment based on the degree of handicap and severity of malocclusion. Patients in category A require immediate treatment and include those with congenital abnormalities of the jaws such as cleft lip and palate, and patients with major skeletal discrepancies between the sizes of the jaws. Patients in category B have less severe problems than category A patients but have a definite need of treatment and are placed on the orthodontic treatment waiting list.
The chief executive officers of the health boards have also informed me of the following information on orthodontic assessment and treatment waiting lists for the past three years:

Health Board

1998

AssessmentWaiting List

TreatmentWaiting List

1999

AssessmentWaiting List

TreatmentWaiting List

2000

AssessmentWaiting List

TreatmentWaiting List

EHB/ERHA

10,985

Nil

Not available

NotAvailable

10,283

847

Midland

709

699

502

638

407

174

Mid-Western

Not available

2,967

2,694

1,305

2,671

1,488

North-Eastern

Nil

1,440

Nil

1,394

Nil

867

North-Western

Not available

944

Not available

2,433

380

2,107

South-Eastern

Not available

511

586

609

238

567

Southern

5,000

4,147

5,000 Approx

5,000 Approx

5,000 Approx

4,364

Western

442

3,795

387

2,148

509

2,179

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