Written answer
Dental Services
The Minister outlined a two-year action plan to improve dental access, targeting school and orthodontic waiting lists, the Special Access Programme, the DTSS, workforce recruitment and innovative care. She said the plan was being finalised with the HSE following engagement with dental representative bodies and would be published shortly.
4139. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Health if she will detail the plan to deal with the lack of dental services for those on medical cards and PRSI patients; and the engagement she has had with the Irish Dental Association; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59373/26]
Comment on this
The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides oral healthcare, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. Services available annually and on demand include an examination including preventative elements, two fillings, extractions, and a scale and polish. More complex care, such as dentures, additional fillings and a broader range of treatments for patients with additional needs and high-risk patients, are available subject to the approval of the local HSE Principal Dental Surgeon.
Insured workers, self-employed people, retired people, and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions may avail of the Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme, which comes under the remit of the Minister for Social Protection.
I recognise that patients are struggling to access oral healthcare and I am determined to ease this pressure. In practical terms, that means improving access through the public oral healthcare system—especially for children and medical card holders. My Department and the HSE are finalising a 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
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.