Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 24 Jun 2003

Vol. 569 No. 3

Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.

David Stanton

Ceist:

94 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress that has been made regarding the provision of orthodontic services in the respective health board areas; the number waiting for assessment and for treatment in each health board respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17666/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

As the Deputy is aware, the provision of orthodontic treatment to eligible persons is the responsibility of the health boards-authority in the first instance. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that I have taken a number 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. This year, my Department and the health boards are funding 13 dentists from various health boards for specialist in orthodontics qualifications at training programmes in Ireland and at three separate universities in the United Kingdom. These 13 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. Thus there is an aggregate of 20 public service dentists in training for specialist in orthodontics qualifications. 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.

Orthodontic initiative funding of €4.698 million was provided to the health boards/authority in 2001 and this has enabled health boards to recruit additional staff, engage the services of private specialist orthodontic practitioners to treat patients and build additional orthodontic facilities.

In June 2002, my Department provided additional funding of €5 million from the treatment purchase fund to health boards specifically for the purchase of orthodontic treatment. This funding is enabling boards to provide both additional sessions for existing staff and purchase treatment from private specialist orthodontic practitioners. This scheme has also enabled some boards to make arrangements for the treatment of cases by private specialist orthodontic practitioners from Northern Ireland.

The chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have informed me of the following information on their orthodontic waiting lists as at the end of the March 2003 quarter, which is detailed in the table following:

	Assessment Waiting List			Treatment Waiting List
Health Board		Average Waiting Time (Months)	Category A	Waiting Time (Months)	Category B	Waiting List (Months)
SWAHB	564		433		467	16-20
ECAHB	171		14		114
NAHB	349		Nil	No WaitingTime	1,937
Midland	295	4	Nil	No WaitingTime	182	12
Mid-Western	2,061	24-36	Nil	No WaitingTime	670	24-36
North-Eastern	Nil	No WaitingTime	5	1.5-2	238	18
North-Western	445	6	40	17	753	18
South-Eastern	410	1.5-4	Nil	No WaitingTime	510	14
Southern	6,733	According to Date of Birth (Currently 1989)	Nil	No Waiting Time	3,184	42
Western	818	10	Nil	No Waiting Time	815	36

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 and are placed on the orthodontic treatment waiting list.

The chief executive officers of the health boards-authority have also informed me that, at the end of the March 2003 quarter, there were 20,272 patients receiving orthodontic treatment in the public orthodontic service. This is an increase of approximately 2,168 patients in orthodontic treatment when compared with the number of patients receiving treatment in March 2002.