Sir, there have been several issues raised in the media which cast doubt on to current dental policies and strategies. The popular dental press has been advising of recent promotions to recruit dentists from overseas. In particular, many will be aware of the drive to enlist Polish dentists to prop up the deemed flagging dental service. I am sure that few people have problems with the concept of any qualified overseas dentists legitimately in Britain. I am curious to know whether the think tank at the source of the campaign have considered implications to the host nations of the recruits. Very recently, criticism of overseas nurses from Nigeria working in hospitals in Britain has been noted. This practice has drained the countries of skilled workers and placed their own population in a more vulnerable position in terms of healthcare. I wonder whether we, as a profession, could be facing a political time-bomb.

It is also poignant that an estimated third of British medical graduates may face difficulties in securing a new post. The medical and dental professions obviously work separately, however it does seem nonsense that we have a deficit on the one hand and a surplus on the other.