Professor Leo Stassen:

I thank the Senator for his questions. CPD is not mandatory, although it should be. The Dentists Act 1985 does not allow us to make it mandatory. All of the relevant organisations, including the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, the Irish Dental Association and the Dental Council have pressed for it to be mandatory. Currently, all one must do to register is show one has a qualification in dentistry from Ireland or elsewhere. That is a serious issue.

On the issue of somebody having qualified as a dentist, all of us support what we call vocational training, the foundation training and general professional training. Once a person qualifies as a dentist, he or she can, if that person likes, go into the high street and set up his or her own specialist practice or dental practice and, as a dentist, do all aspects of dentistry. Our problem is trying to reassure and safeguard the public. To do that, we have always advocated for the introduction of what happens in the medical world - an intern year, a professional training or a foundation year which is, basically, a mentorship and supervisory experience. At present, a person who qualifies as a dentist can become an associate. He or she works for somebody but still remains an independent practitioner and the person for whom that person works cannot tell him or her what to do. It is a poor situation we are in.