Dental Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Alan Dillon (FG), Mayo

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of the HSE's public dental and orthodontic service in south Tipperary. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health.
The HSE oral healthcare service aims to provide an oral examination and necessary treatment for children at ages approximating to second and sixth class and, in some cases, fourth class. Emergency care is provided for children of all ages up to 16 and for those with complex and additional needs. The HSE provides orthodontic treatment to patients with the most severe and complex treatment needs.
The Minister for Health is aware that there are currently backlogs in the HSE's child oral health examination programme, which have meant that the sixth-class groups are being prioritised. In relation to orthodontic services, targeted investment is delivering meaningful improvement. On top of the €240 million that the Government invests annually in oral healthcare, over €20 million has been allocated to waiting list initiatives for contracted orthodontic care, resulting in more than 5,200 removals from waiting lists since 2020. This includes a dedicated orthodontic surgery programme that has delivered treatment for an additional 266 patients to date. This funding will continue in 2026 with a further €2.8 million being provided.
The HSE has advised that there are staffing challenges in the public dental service in south Tipperary and that the healthcare area manager for south Tipperary is currently reviewing staffing levels and waiting list times to replace one specialist in orthodontics based in south Tipperary. To support capacity nationally, €2 million was awarded in 2025, increasing to €4 million in 2026 for an additional 15 HSE dental staff to deliver oral healthcare in the community. The HSE advises that Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary have been allocated one of these posts, which have been difficult to fill.
With regard to immediate and long-term reforms, the Minister acknowledges that the current system, which was developed in the 1990s in response to the identified oral healthcare needs at that time, must be modernised and aligned with current needs. The Government is committed to addressing the immediate difficulties that patients are experiencing in accessing oral healthcare services. The Department of Health is working with colleagues in the HSE and other relevant stakeholders to address the immediate backlogs in the public dental system while long-term reform is under way.
The national oral healthcare policy sets out the vision for oral healthcare services in Ireland and has two key goals: to provide the supports to enable every individual to achieve their potential best oral health and to reduce oral health inequalities across the population by enabling vulnerable groups to access oral healthcare and improve their oral health. Reform of our services is vital and I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter to ensure that people of all ages can have access to modern, prevention-focused care.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26