Dr Dympna Kavanagh, chief dental officer, Department of Health (University College Cork graduate)

A new policy is set to transform dental health for children, says Helen O’Callaghan.

Children with special needs are still waiting up to three years for dental procedures to be carried out, according to the HSE’s top expert on oral health.

NEARLY 3,500 children are on the waiting list for orthodontic treatment in the HSE South — nearly 20 times as many as in the North East.