As part of the Programme for Government 2025, this Government is committed to ensuring adequate and safe staffing across our health service, ensuring that the workforce keeps pace with population and demographic changes.
Though it is the case that workforce growth has been easier to achieve for certain grades rather than others, it should be noted, that this Government invests over €240 million annually in the provision of oral healthcare, targeting those most in need of State support to access care, across:
• Health Service Executive (HSE) Dental Services.
• HSE Orthodontic Services.
• The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) for adult medical card holders; and
• The Dental Treatment Benefit Scheme for insured workers, the self-employed and retired workers who have the necessary PRSI contributions. This is managed by the Department of Social Protection.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) manages and delivers, or arranges to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services within the resources available and clinical prioritisation. Despite the approval in 2025 of an additional of 15 HSE dental staff to deliver oral healthcare in the community and the sanctioned filling of 34.7 WTE vacancies in the Oral Healthcare Service, the HSE report ongoing challenges in the recruitment and retention of public dental service teams.
