Reducing student numbers
A reduction in the number of places to study dentistry at institutions in England must be managed carefully and its impact on both patient care and dental schools monitored, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned.
The warning follows letters to dental schools informing them that their intakes are to be cut by 10 per cent from September 2014 onwards.
At the end of 2013 separate reports by Health Education England and the Centre for Workforce Intelligence warned of a significant potential oversupply of practitioners by 2040 if the current number of dental school places is maintained.
Concerns about a potential saturation of the dental jobs market were exacerbated further by BDA research published earlier this month (January 2014) suggesting that those in vocational and foundation training schemes appear to be experiencing increasing difficulty securing permanent positions. That research drew warnings from the BDA that while decisions on workforce planning must not jeopardise patient care, they must also be responsible towards the young people who invest significantly in training for careers in dentistry and the public purse which contributes to their education.
Judith Husband, chair of the BDA’s Ethics, Education and the Dental Team Committee, said:
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