Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 January 2026
268. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if measures will be introduced to increase the provision of places in dental schools in view of the shortage of dentists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4516/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra269. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Health if measures will be introduced to ensure the availability of more places for Irish students in dental schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4517/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 268 and 269 together.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that there are now more dentists than ever registered in Ireland - with 3,945 dentists on the Dental Council register as of December 2025, an increase of 167 since January 2025. This reflects ongoing upward trends regarding registered dentists in the State, and compares favourably with the numbers in April 2019, when Smile agus Sláinte was published – 3,100, an increase of over 27%.
My Department officials engage on an ongoing basis with colleagues in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we train enough dentistry graduates to support the delivery of oral healthcare services.
As part of this engagement, the Department of Health has received a proposal for funding from University College Cork to establish a dental outreach centre. This would enable the training of additional undergraduate students in the dentistry programme, in a primary care setting, benefiting both Irish and EU students. Discussions are currently ongoing between my Department and DFHERIS to try and progress this proposal with a view to maximising both Irish and EU places to enhance workforce capacity in Ireland, as well as increased service provision.
My Department officials have recently received a draft proposal to increase the number of dental places at the Dublin Dental University Hospital, located at Trinity College Dublin. This will require further discussion and agreement between my Department and DFHERIS.
Significant progress has been made working with the Higher Education Sector and Professional Bodies to increase student training places for the health sector including dentistry. A new Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) was established in 2025. The RCSI has informed us that its intake is 30 students, 21 of whom are Irish/EU students. The RCSI has secured an agreement with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to expand its intake to 35 Irish/EU student places by 2027. Over time, this will expand domestic graduate output by approximately 25% and contribute to workforce sustainability. Overall, the RCSI has indicated that it will produce 75 graduate dentists per annum when fully operational.
My Department remains committed to ensuring that our oral healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. Further work is underway with DFHERIS and other relevant Government Departments and the HEA to increase the number of student places across health and social care professions including dentistry.
Ensuring adequate capacity to train future dentists is part of the Government's commitment to workforce planning that supports the health and well-being of our population. By enhancing our future workforce, we are taking steps to ensure that the National Oral Health Policy is implemented.
