Sir, I feel your correspondent (D. Thomas BDJ 2005; 199: 545) has an over simplistic view of the role of women in the dental manpower shortage.

The figures quoted indicate that there are higher numbers of younger practitioners amongst women compared with men, ie women at a stage when they may prefer to work reduced hours. As time progresses, the proportion of women working fewer hours than men may well change as women without pressing family commitments increase their hours at the same time as the increasingly older men 'wind down'. The under representation of women in practice ownership, involvement in postgraduate training and policy making bodies probably indicates that they are spending a larger proportion of their (albeit reduced) working hours involved in delivering patient care.

For the record, I am a married woman with teenaged children who has worked full time in the NHS since qualification more than 20 years ago.