Dr. Caroline Robins:

I am a dentist who came from outside the EEA. I went through that exact situation and I felt exactly the same. I felt I had all the qualifications and I had the years of experience. The Dental Council is explaining why we need these things. They are in place because the council needs to ensure that the standards dentists bring are adequate and that patients will be safe in the care of prospective dentists. Everything that needs to be instigated, through the statutory examination, ensures that once a dentist is registered, he or she has met the level of requirement. It is a safety factor. In my case, I huffed and puffed and was annoyed, and felt I had enough, but it takes time. I am heartened to hear that Mr. O'Flynn is talking about looking at ways to increase capacity because that certainly would be helpful.