Sir, – With respect to your article (“Dental Council lacks ‘sufficient powers’ to act against unregistered dentists,” February 23rd) highlighting the practice of unregistered dentists in Ireland, it is beyond time the Dentists Act of 1985 was updated. However, it is also time for the Dental Council of Ireland to examine its own role in this concerning situation.
The Dental Council is the gatekeeper to the Irish dental register and, therefore, it is its role to ensure only dentists who achieve the highest standards are registered in this country. Access to this register is through achieving a recognised qualification in Ireland or within the EU or by completing the Dental Council examination.
However, access to this examination is significantly restricted and arguably discriminatory. Among other prerequisites, an applicant must have practised dentistry for three out of the last five years to be eligible to sit this examination, taking no account of the number of post-qualification clinical hours an applicant might have.
“This requirement acknowledges the likelihood that candidates who have been practising continuously will have a greater chance of success in the examination than candidates who have not been practising continuously,” according to the Dental Council itself.
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So if a non-EU qualified dentist has not applied to complete this examination within two years of arrival in Ireland, which they may not be in a position to do for a myriad of reasons, then access to the examination and by extension to the Irish Dental Register is closed off with no other pathway to registration. This may be a significant factor in unregistered dentists choosing to practice in this country.
So perhaps a little more carrot and a little less stick might be the solution. – Yours, etc,
Dr ANGELA KEARNEY,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
