Sir, – I note with great interest that the dean of the faculty of dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Dr John Marley states, in your article concerning the imminent oral health policy, that the Department of Health failed to consult with his faculty on the policy ("Dental care reform a threat to skills of dentists' skills, RCSI warns", News, December 5th). This is indeed surprising since the oral health policy has been in preparation for the past four years, time surely to consult with every dentist in the country, though perhaps not enough time to listen to the problems of hundreds of thousands of medical card holders and parents of children who have been suffering from an inadequate, underfunded dental service for the past 20 years.
I was more fortunate than Dr Marley because I was one of a dozen or so general dentists who were consulted, but my misfortune was that I believe that this consultation process was abandoned by the Department of Health before it was completed.
We continue to wait with bated breath for this policy, in the making now for four years. – Is mise,
Dr PÁDRAIG
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Ó REACHTAGÁIN,
Dental Surgeon,
Roscrea,
Co Tipperary.