Dental Services
Seanad Éireann — 2025-10-14
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Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (FF), Carlow-Kilkenny

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I assure her once again that the Government is committed to supporting access to oral healthcare services for people with disabilities, which is evidenced by the significant investment in recent years. A package of measures was introduced in 2022 to expand the care available under the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS. Significantly, increased fees have been paid to contractors. These measures have improved access to care. Payments for contractor claims in 2024 showed 227,691 additional treatments were provided nationally under the DTSS, with more than 44,208 extra patients treated compared with 2022. In the long term, the national oral health policy sets out a complete transformation of oral healthcare services and the expansion of care available for both children and adults.
Under the new model of care being developed by the HSE, families will be able to access free, age-appropriate oral healthcare for their children at a dental practice of their choosing in their local community which holds a contract with the HSE. Children will be able to attend for care starting from birth and continuing regularly throughout their childhood. The HSE oral healthcare staff will have a key role in the new model. There will be an important new model set out under the national oral health policy, which will be oriented towards patients with additional needs who are less able to attend a general dental practice and who must be enabled to have greater access to oral healthcare.
I understand totally. It is important that if someone needs a service, particularly if they are in pain, the service is there. I will go back to the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. I will also be fully supporting this and, as I said, I will highlight concerns that are there but going forward, we will see change.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-10-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:13+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-14