Dr. John Marley:

Any system worth its salt will have provision in place at various levels so that the right patient gets the right practitioner at the right time. Prevention is the way ahead but it has to be adequately resourced. If that does not work out, there will have to be a safety net to deal with the inevitable problems that patients have because people are people. Prevention is the answer for future difficulties but one still has to manage those with current difficulties, including those with significant comorbidity, and the elderly population. We are all getting older, especially me. We have to have a 21st-century healthcare delivery system that allows that to be addressed. That can only be addressed through appropriately trained, adequate numbers of experts, both at specialist and consultant level. They will also be the leaders for the future of dentistry and without the leaders, there will not be dental provision.