HSE Publishes Oral Health Survey of 5-Year-Olds in North East
The HSE has just released (January 2008) the results of the survey of the oral health of 5-year-old children, carried out in the former North-Eastern Health Board in 2002. The document is not yet posted on the HSE web site, but you can read the summary here

Five-year-old children living in the North East (Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath) have not achieved the oral health goals set out in the 1994 national strategy Shaping a Healthier Future. In fluoridated areas in 2002, 59% of five-year-olds had no experience of tooth decay (the goal was 85%); and in non-fluoridated areas, 49% of the same age group had no decay experience (the goal was 60%). Conversely, 41% and 51% of five-year-olds living respectively in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas had caries, 80% of which was untreated. There was a significant difference between the levels of decay in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas – an average dmf of 1.4 in fluoridated areas versus 2.1 in non-fluoridated areas. Another benefit of fluoridation was demonstrated by the fact that decay levels in disdvantaged children (as measured by parental medical cards), although significantly higher in both areas, was less in children living in fluoridated areas than in non-fluoridated areas.

Children who were breastfed had significantly lower levels of decay. And weaning age was also significantly asssociated with decay levels – children who were older than 2 when weaned from their bottle had higher decay levels than those who were weaned before 12 months of age.

Parents who were questioned expressed strong feelings about the need for their children to be seen at a younger age than is presently the case by the Public Dental Service. Only 31% of the children surveyed had been to a dentist, and one in three of those because of pain or obvious treatment need.

HSE Intranet launched
The HSE launched its Intranet site on November 15th, and while much of the content remains to be added, and many links activated, two valuable links are fully functional – the Press Cuttings service, which is a fully searchable database of all articles that have any relevance for the HSE, warts and all; and the link to the library and information service....More

HSA publishes guide for Directors and Senior Managers
The HSA has just published (6th November 2007) a Guidance for Directors and Senior Managers on their Responsibilities for Workplace Safety and Health.This guidance is aimed at executive and non-executive directors of all types of workplaces in the private and public sectors. including Principal Dental Surgeons. The document may be freely downloaded in pdf format from the HSA website here, but please note the strict copyright notice on page three!

The report of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration - Implications for Chief Dental Officer post
In appendix B of the report of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration are listed posts covered by the scheme at the equivalent of Deputy Secretary Level, or at a level above Assistant Secretary but below Deputy Secretary. The post of Chief Medical Officer, Dept. of Health and Children is included under this heading. Deputy Secretaries who currently earn €169,415 have been given a 9.2% pay rise to €185,000. The implications from this would seem to suggest that the CMO would also be entitled to a rise of 9.2%, bringing his/her salary from the current €166,063 to €181,340.
For the record, the Secretary General of the Dept. of Health and Children, a Level II grade, currently getting €242,019, has been awarded 11.6% to €270,000. The Deputy Secretary General, currently at €169,41 gets the aforementioned 9.2%, bringing the salary to €185,000. Assistant Secretaries, currently: €125,046 – 131, 092 – 137, 144 – 143,192, have been recommended an additional 5.5%, bringing the scale to €132,000 – 138,000 – 144,500 – 151,000.
The full report is available as a pdf file on the website of the Review Body, report no 42 on http://www.reviewbody.gov.ie/publications

Minister wants Chief Dental Officer and more Hygienists
The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney T.D. announced on 18th October that she considered the position of Chief Dental Officer "an important area where we need an advisor at a clinical level that is the CDO... as far as not just our international participation is concerned but even on domestic issues it is an important position." A decision is to be made very quickly on the post. More

Specialist Orthodontists get 4.3 per cent pay rise
The report of the Review Body on Higher Remuneration has awarded 4.3 per cent to Specialist Orthodontists, who were included in the groups covered by the review, along with hospital consultants, Directors of Public Health, Specialists in Public Health, and higher management grades in the HSE not covered by the benchmarking process. This raises the pay of a Specialist Orthodontist from €139,044 to €145,000.
Interestingly, the Review Body recommended a salary for the CEO of the HSE below that of the incumbent CEO - it is the understanding of the Review Body that the recommended rate of €303,000 will apply to the successor to the present CEO, who reportedly earns €360,000 plus bonuses of up to 25% - a potential total of €450,000 p.a.
National Directors in the National Hospital Office and in PCCC, of Finance, HR and Population Health get 9.5%; Other National Directors get 5.5%. Hospital Network Managers and Assistant National Directors in the PCCC Directorate come in at 19.6%; other ANDs at 2.3%.
The pages in the Report relating to the Specialist Orthodontists may be downloaded here

Competition Authority publishes report on Dental Services
The Competition Authority is calling for significant reform in the Irish Dental profession. The report finds that competition in dental services is restricted and discouraged by an outdated system of regulation. Among the report’s key findings are that Irish dentists are not allowed to advertise their prices nor to offer discounts; they may not canvas for each other’s customers; the number of dentists and orthodontists being trained in Ireland has not kept pace with growing demand; and Irish consumers do not have the option of going directly to qualified dental hygienists and dental technicians. For more on this, and pdf files of the executive summary and final report, go to the Competition Autority's webpage.

Radiology
The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, signed S.I.303 of 2007 in June of this year. Yet to be issued officially, this Statutory Instrument is called the European Communities (Medical Ionising Radiation Protection) (Amendment) Regulations 2007. The amendment modifies certain clauses in S.I.478 of 2002 that impacted on the efficient operation of radiology in dental practice. S.I.303 of 2007 (50KB doc)

Orthodontics
The Report of the Orthodontic Review Group was accepted by HSE Management in January 2007. The national implementation date for the new guidelines for orthodontic treatment, based on the Index for Orthodontic Treatment Need, or IOTN is July 2nd 2007. The modified IOTN may be accessed here. See original IOTN under "Orthodontics" in the page index on left.

Interview with John Gormley on fluoridation, RTE Radio, March 2007, before he became Minister for the Environment. This is a zipped mp3 file of 5.68 mbytes. Download only via broadband.