An Oireachtas committee has recommended a change in health legislation to allow health boards to pay half the fee for some young peoples' private orthodontic treatment.
The Joint Committee on Health and Children said it was dissatisfied with how the orthodontic service was operating. It noted the service had a waiting list of 50,000.
Mr Batt O'Keeffe TD, chairman of the committee, said their proposal, if implemented, would mean a dramatic reduction in waiting lists. The recommendation for grant-in-aid for eligible patients said if a young person was on the waiting list and reached the age of 16 without being treated, the health board would pay half the fee for private treatment.
Parents would pay the remainder and would be eligible for a 20 or 42 per cent tax refund.
Dr Thérèse Garvey, president of the Orthodontic Society of Ireland, which represents orthodontists in private practice, welcomed the report, but said she would like to see the grant extended to children under 16. "Should we not be looking at those aged 10 or 11?" she asked.
The committee's report, published yesterday, said the question of grant aid for eligible parents has been raised in contributions to the committee.
It continued: "Full funding of private fees is allowed and is an essential part of the orthodontic service. New legislation to provide clear statutory provisions on entitlements is proposed."
A spokesman for the Department of Health said the North Area Health Board had intended to implement a pilot scheme of this type, but it could not go ahead because it contravened the health Act.
The committee said it was "bewildered" by the "fractious relationships" within the orthodontic profession. It said "there were difficulties between the three longest serving consultant orthodontists in the health board sector and other key players in the sector".
The committee said it was not its job to discuss the rights and wrongs of these difficulties. An expert panel should be established to resolve disputes within orthodontics.
The committee said it "believes the various key stakeholders are not providing a service to meet public needs". These shareholders include the orthodontists in the health boards, the health board itself, the Department of Health and the dental schools.
The report took the average cost of orthodontic treatment in the private sector to be €2,920.
Enhanced training was recommended by the committee. The primary dental degree course in Dublin and Cork should be amended or upgraded to include primary level orthodontics.
State funding should be made available for up to 18 orthodontic postgraduate training places in the Dublin Dental Hospital and dental school. The committee also recommended significant increases in specialist training places and greater access to courses provided in Britain and Northern Ireland.
An action plan should be implemented by the Department within six months, in which indicators of performance should be clearly outlined.