Health | The extent to which dental patients can have their requirements met and progressed as quickly as possible, with particular reference to medical card holders

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which dental patients can have their requirements met and progressed as quickly as possible, with particular reference to medical card holders; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental care, 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, 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.

Where access to a dentist is difficult, local HSE services assist patients who make enquiries and make lists of DTSS contractors available to medical card holders. In exceptional circumstances, the HSE assists patients to access emergency dental treatment by directly contacting private contractors or arranging treatment to be provided by HSE-employed dentists.

To support practitioners to provide care under the Scheme, I approved and funded a range of measures that were put in place on 1 May 2022 to introduce and reintroduce elements of preventative care and increase the fees paid to dental contractors for most treatment items by 40-60%. In 2023, 154,864 additional treatments were provided under the DTSS, with over 26,700 extra patients treated when compared with 2022.

In the longer term, the Government is committed to reforming dental services, including the DTSS, through the implementation of the National Oral Health Policy (NOHP), Smile agus Sláinte. An implementation plan for the 2024-2026 phase of rollout is being drafted by my Department and the HSE, for consultation and subsequent publication in the third quarter of this year. The HSE is committed to the design and development of packages of expanded preventative care, and will consult with the profession this year on this draft design, as the first phase of reform of the DTSS.