125. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if she has considered the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health's Report on Dental Services in the Healthcare System; if she will commit to implementing its recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28361/26]

Sentiment score: 0.11

There is a deepening crisis in dental services. Last week, the Committee on Health produced a report setting out 19 recommendations as to how this crisis can be tackled. Has the Minister had a chance to consider the report? Will she implement the recommendations?

Sentiment score: -0.27

I thank the Minister. It is welcome that progress is being made because it is now seven years since the national oral health policy, Smile agus Sláinte, was published and we still do not have that implementation plan. I was not impressed by some of the excuses we received from officials at the committee, one of which was to blame Covid-19 for the failure to do this over the last number of years. We have been here before. Previous Ministers have promised an implementation plan, but it was never delivered. I hope that the current Minister does so, with clear actions, targets and timelines. Crucially, we need a new dental Act. The Dental Council is currently toothless. It needs powers to investigate, inspect and regulate. We have heard of cases of an unregistered person convicted of a sexual assault who may be practising as a dentist, as well as an unregistered dentist offering dental treatments, including X-rays, from a sitting room in an apartment in Dublin. We have also heard about three unregistered dentists offering pop-up clinics in Munster. We want to see a new dental Act and for the Dental Council to be given the real powers that it needs and has been calling for since 2008.

Sentiment score: 0.05

Children in particular are being failed here. Too many children are leaving primary school without receiving a screening. We know that children should be screened in second, fourth and sixth classes. Some of them are not being screened until fourth year in secondary school or later. We know that, in 2023, only 104,000 out of an eligible 208,000 children were screened, so half of them were not screened that year. There are real issues with workforce planning and having adequate staff in place to do that. It is a real failure by the State that we are not providing those services to children. Equally, the medical card scheme is not working. Dentists are leaving it. The number of dentists in the scheme has halved over a decade, which is a real signal that there are failures in this scheme. It is too limited, with a limit on the number of fillings but no limit on the number of extractions. There needs to be engagement with the Irish Dental Association to develop a scheme that works for patients, dentists and the public purse.

Sentiment score: -0.09