640. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health If her Department has reviewed the findings of the 2015 independent report into Midwest public orthodontic services; if she will verify allegations that children suffered clinical damage due to systemic oversight failures highlighted in that unpublished report; and the clinical audit structures currently in place to protect children undergoing public orthodontic treatment. [67099/26]

641. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health if she will report on the status of the independent review completed in February 2015 by two UK-based professors into public orthodontic services in the Midwest region; the reasons this report has not been published by the HSE to date despite previous commitments to do so; and if she will state when the report will be published. [67098/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 640 and 641 together.

I assume the report the Deputy is referring to is the Orthodontic Lookback Review commissioned by the HSE in 2015 following receipt of a ‘statement of concern’ in relation to an orthodontic service serving the Greater Dublin Area between 1999 and 2002. This review was, in effect, a scoping report commissioned to advise the HSE on what actions should be taken to determine if there was a risk of harm to patients in this case.

In response to the 2015 HSE Report, the HSE commenced an audit process in 2016 to review the records of patients treated with braces in the service between 1999 and 2002. The audit phase reviewed records of over 7,500 patients of which 16 patients met the threshold for recall by the HSE.

The HSE were successful in contacting the majority of these patients and Open Disclosure meetings took place over the period from January 2020 to August 2021. The patients were offered a dental assessment as per the terms of reference and as appropriate, treatment plans were initiated in accordance with clinical need and the informed wishes of the patients. The HSE published the Report of Look-back Review into Orthodontic Services (Dublin Mid-Leinster, 1999-2002) in August 2022.

Waiting lists vary regionally and according to the complexity of the condition. There are generally longer waiting lists for the least complex care. The HSE has put in place a number of measures to address waiting times in orthodontic services. These include treatment waiting list initiatives, services improvement initiatives and access to orthodontic services outside the jurisdiction.

The Government has invested significantly in orthodontic waiting list initiatives, including €20m between 2022 and 2025. To date 2026, through these initiatives, 5,683 Grade 4 patients have been provided with care via private capacity. For orthodontic patients who require jaw surgery, this investment has enabled a surgical initiative, benefitting 237 patients to date.

Any decision regarding publication of the HSE 2015 lookback report is a matter for the HSE.