Letter to the Editor: Dental health strategy lacks any bite

A national dental health plan, Smile agus Sláinte, was published to less than enthusiastic response from the profession, largely due to concerns about resource. Under the plan, public patients will access advanced care in “advanced oral healthcare centres”, staffed by “appropriately qualified and trained dentists with advanced skills”.

This is a description of a specialist dental referral service but the plan does not describe it as such nor does it explain how or where these “dentists with advanced skills” will be trained.