Vol. 552 No. 3
130 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Health and Children the average waiting period for children who are awaiting orthodontic treat ment in Waterford city and Waterford county; and his plans to reduce these waiting times. [12514/02]
The provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons is the responsibility of the health boards in the first instance. The chief executive officer of the South Eastern Health Board has informed me that at the end of the March 2002 quarter, there were 446 patients awaiting orthodontic treatment and the average waiting time for treatment is 12 months. As my Department does not collate orthodontic treatment information by county, I have asked the chief executive officer of the SEHB to reply directly to the Deputy regarding the average waiting period for orthodontic treatment for children in the Waterford county area.
The chief executive officer of the SEHB has also informed me that at the end of the March 2002 quarter, the number of patients in orthodontic treatment in the south eastern area was 2,138 which was an increase of 114 on the last quarter. I have initiated a range of measures to substantially increase the capacity of the orthodontic services and reduce the waiting times for orthodontic treatment. Structural changes are being introduced into the orthodontic services. These 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.
A dentist from the SEHB, along with five other dentists from the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the North-Eastern Health Board, commenced training in October last for specialist in orthodontics qualifications. The general objectives of these training programmes is to educate dentists to become specialists in orthodontics with a broad academic background and experience in different clinical treatment methods. They are made possible by co-operation between health boards, consultants and dental teaching institutions. Discussions on providing an additional training course to commence this year are also under way.
My Department has funded the appointment of a director of specialist training for the Irish Committee for Specialist Training in Dentistry through the Post Graduate Medical and Dental Board. The director has taken up duty and will play a pivotal role in assisting the different agencies involved in dental specialist training programmes. My Department has also funded the recruitment of a professor in orthodontics at Cork University Dental School to facilitate the development of an approved training programme leading to specialist qualifications in orthodontics. Capital funding of approximately €1.27 million was also provided to the orthodontics unit there for its refurbishment to an appropriate standard.
