Vol. 556 No. 3
521 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of fully qualified orthodontists who are not consultants and who are employed by the respective health boards; his plans to sanction further posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20046/02]
The provision of orthodontic services to eligible persons is the responsibility of the health boards-authority in the first instance. The chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have informed me that at the end of March 2002, there were 19 whole time equivalent, WTE, specialists in orthodontics employed by the health boards. In line with the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children on the service, the number of specialist in orthodontics posts for the health boards is being finalised. This process will yield any additional national manpower requirements for the public orthodontic service.
Furthermore, I have already taken a range of measures to improve orthodontic services on a national basis. The grade of specialist in orthodontics has been created in the health board orthodontic service. The introduction of this pivotal grade will have a tremendous impact on the future delivery of orthodontics in the public service: ultimately, it will address the issues of recruitment and retention of qualified clinical personnel in the service.
This year, my Department expects to fund 11 dentists from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at two separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 11 trainees for the public orthodontic service are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training last year and one dentist whose specialist training is nearing completion. This is an aggregate of 18 public service dentists currently in training for specialist in orthodontics qualifications.
The training programmes concerned provide a broad academic background and experience in different clinical treatment methods and are made possible by cooperation between health boards, health board consultant orthodontists and dental teaching institutions.
These measures will complement the other structural changes being introduced into the orthodontic service, including the creation of an auxiliary grade of orthodontic therapist to work in the orthodontic area. The grade of orthodontic therapist will act as a support to the consultant orthodontist, specialists and other dentists working in the orthodontic unit thus enabling a greater volume of treatment.
