Training overseas dentists

Sir, – The general public will be aware of the ongoing staffing crisis within the medical profession. This ongoing situation has been exacerbated by the escalating policy of Irish universities to offer places on their medical and dental courses to non-EU students in return for a higher remuneration than would be achieved by EU students.

In 2022 the graduating class of Cork Dental School amounted to 52 graduates of which 19 were Irish and the rest were from Canada and the US (mostly Canadian). So we have the bizarre situation that we as a country are currently training approximately twice as many Canadian dentists as Irish ones. This policy is extremely short-sighted and will lead to ongoing dramatic shortages of medical professionals and has already done so. It is my understanding that the numbers are similarly proportional in Trinity dental school and that the medical courses in all of Ireland’s medical colleges have similar issues. Canadian dental graduates are not eligible to automatically work in Ireland due to work visa issues and almost all immediately return home after graduating.

I would urge the Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris to immediately cease this policy and allow Irish students more access to these and other courses.

Our third-level education system is much admired but we cannot allow it to be highjacked by students who will not be entering the Irish work force and contributing urgently needed skills. Non-EU students should only be offered additional places on courses and should not be replacing our own students and denying them the opportunity to fulfil their aspirations. Any short-term financial gain to universities is completely overshadowed by the lack of access to proper medical and dental care that the general population will suffer. – Yours, etc,