Orthodontic report publication
Deputy Harty repeated concerns about an unpublished HSE orthodontic report on treatment failures in Dublin-mid-Leinster. The Tánaiste said he had not seen the report, outlined the basic concern, and promised to correspond with the Deputy.
According to A Programme for a Partnership Government, the Government is "committed to timely access to orthodontic care" and intends to develop a "comprehensive" oral health policy, especially for children. In this context, there is concern that physical damage was done by the HSE orthodontic service in the Dublin-mid-Leinster area between 1999 and 2002. The HSE commissioned a report into this complaint. The report, which was compiled by two independent external dental professionals from the UK, was provided to the Department of Health in 2015 but has not yet been published. An audit of the 7,500 children involved has been carried out. Why has the report not been published? When will the audit into the unpublished report be completed?
Comment on this
I have not read this report and I have not seen it. It was raised with me by Deputy Calleary earlier. The statement of concern relates to concerns raised by two consultant orthodontists about the delivery of orthodontic services in the Dublin-mid-Leinster area between 1999 and 2001. The concern relates to interrupted orthodontic treatment. In some cases, braces were left in place for longer than required.
