The delivery of orthodontic services is a matter for the chief executive officers of the health boards in the first instance. I understand that the chief executive officers have established a review group on the public orthodontic service which is considering the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Health and Children in the context both of the historical development of the service and of the national health strategy. I understand that the review group is made up of senior administrative and clinical personnel within the health boards. The work of this group will inform the development of an orthodontic action plan, which was one of the recommendations of the joint committee.
My Department is continuing to support the development of the public orthodontic services. In line with at least five of the recommendations of the joint committee, my Department expects to fund eleven dentists this year for internationally recognised specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and the UK. These eleven trainees are additional to the six dentists who commenced their training last year at the Dublin Dental School and one dentist whose specialist training is nearing completion in Northern Ireland. This is an aggregate of eighteen public service dentists currently in training for internationally recognised specialist in orthodontics qualifications.
These training programmes are made possible by co-operation between the health boards, the majority of consultant orthodontists and the dental teaching institutions. Recently, two dentists that had been sponsored for such specialist training have qualified and taken up duty in the Western Health Board.
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. The chief executive officer of the board has informed me that Cork university dental school is in discussion with an interested candidate for the post.