Vol. 557 No. 2
244 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be assessed and treated for orthodontics, from the urgent waiting list rather than the routine list; when a person is told they need urgent treatment, if the assessment waiting list time is 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21874/02]
Responsibility for the provision of orthodontic treatment to this person rests with the Western Health Board. My Department has asked the chief executive officer to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to him directly. Entitlement to orthodontic treatment is determined by reference to orthodontic guidelines, a set of objective clinical criteria applied by health board orthodontists when assessing children's priority of need for treatment. The orthodontic guidelines were issued by my Department in 1985 and are still in use. The orthodontic guidelines are used to ensure that orthodontic resources are prioritised for and applied equitably to the most severe cases. The chief executive officer of the Western Health Board has informed my Department that all children placed on its assessment waiting list are taken sequentially for an assessment of their priority of need for treatment. The board has further informed my Department that the average waiting time for assessment as of 30 June 2002 was 12 months.
