Concerns over dentists’ training and education

Serious concerns have been raised about the quality of education and training of the country’s dentists.

The Faculty of Dentistry at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) believes the Government will shortly publish a new National Oral Health Policy. It says that, despite examining 900 students each year and over 2,000 of its graduates working in the profession around the world, it was not consulted in the formulation of the policy.

The RCSI believes key concerns it highlighted may not be addressed in the final document.

Dr John Marley, dean of the faculty, outlined existing ‘training gaps’ including:

• The ‘complete inadequacy’ of specialist and consultant training of dentistry in Ireland
• The lack of an intern year to support and mentor newly qualified dentists to better serve their patients
• The lack of mandatory continuing professional development for dentists to maintain their skills and knowledge through lifelong learning

“We look forward to the new policy addressing fundamental flaws in how we educate and train dentists in Ireland,” said Dr Marley.

Currently, our newly qualified dentists do not receive the support and training they need in their first year in practice, while more established dentists do not have sufficient opportunities to keep their skills up to date, particularly in an era of fast-paced advances in dentistry and healthcare.

The faculty believes the intern year and lifelong learning elements which it is seeking should be compulsory.

“Ultimately, providing Ireland’s dentists with the best training is about ensuring that patients receive the safest, most efficient and effective care. Advanced dental training is also key to future-proofing today’s policy over the longer-term,” he added.