Two dental surgeons who completed an orthodontics training programme, recognised by an advisory committee of the Royal College of Surgeons in England, have taken a High Court challenge to the refusal of the Dental Board to admit them to the register of dental specialists here.
They have been given leave by Mr Justice Ó Caoimh to seek orders quashing the decision of the Dental Board.
Dr Mary O'Rorke, Thurles, Co Tipperary, and Dr Elizabeth Pierse, St Michael's Street, Tipperary town, describe themselves as dental surgeons and orthodontists.
In affidavits, they said they secured their primary dental degrees with honours and in the 1980s decided to specialise in orthodontics. At that time the Dental Council did not have any facility to train orthodontists.
They had trained in orthodontics under the consultant guidance of Mr Ted McNamara, who had a training programme recognised by the specialist advisory committee of the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
Dr O'Rorke and Dr Pierse said they set up as orthodontists in Co Tipperary and in November 2000 asked for admission to the Dental Council's specialist register. The council refused, having formed the opinion that they had not met the criteria for registration.
The applicants claim the register was set up in January 2000 under Section 30 of the 1985 Dentist Act, which created a distinction between two categories of dentists - those who had completed a specialist training course before the register was set up and those who required a further specialist degree.
They say they had completed their training before the register was set up. An appeal against the decision had failed.
A letter from the Dental Council registrar had stated that the appeal committee had got relevant information from Dr McNamara, and the joint committee for specialist training was of the view that the two dentists had not completed training in orthodontics to specialist level.