3870. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the status of the promised national oral health action plan, following publication of national oral health policy entitled Smile agus Sláinte, in 2019; the timeline she is working towards; if this plan will be published in quarter four; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58072/26]

In 2019, the National Oral Health Policy, Smile agus Sláinte, was published. The policy aims to radically transform oral healthcare services - recognising the need for an entirely new approach to oral healthcare to meet the needs of our population into the future. The Policy is in line with the 2024 WHO Action Plan on oral health.

While reform is progressed, I am determined to ease the pressure people are facing now. In practical terms, that means improving access through the public system, especially for children and adult medical card holders. My Department and the HSE are finalising a more focused two-year action plan to deliver real improvements on the ground.

The plan will be driven by a dedicated governance group, with progress monitored closely and aligned to wider HSE and Department priorities. It will aim to respond to sustained service pressures, workforce constraints, and long waiting lists, particularly for children and for people with additional needs.

It will focus on a small number of clear priorities:

Cut waiting lists in the School Dental Programme and orthodontics;

Strengthen and expand the Special Access Programme;

Reviewing and improving the Dental Treatment Services Scheme;

Support recruitment, education and training; and

Support innovation and new ways of delivering care.

Over the next two years, the aim is to stabilise services, reduce waiting times, and make access measurably better for patients,while laying the groundwork for longer-term reform.

Recent engagements with for example, the Irish Dental Association (IDA), the Irish Dental Hygienists Association (IDHA) and the Dental Council have ranged from addressing waiting lists and delivering near term improvements to the schools program, to improving the supply of dental team members by exploring innovative ways of broadening the educational and training options for both hygienists and dental nurses. We will also be consulting with colleagues in DFHERIS on educational opportunities for both the current and future dental workforce.

My Department officials are currently engaging with HSE counterparts to finalise this action plan, with the aim of publishing it in the coming weeks.