Sir, in the past few months the media has focussed an enormous amount of attention on the problems facing the population at large with having access to proper, regular, reliable dental health care - and in particular with the fact that so many dental practices now expect their patients to 'go private' instead of treating them through the current NHS provisions.

If this is the case, it is crucial that dentists are fully aware of the regulations concerning the sale of insurance products. If dentists wish to display posters and brochures of dental insurance schemes in their practices they are at liberty to do so but must stop short of recommending any particular one to their patients.

What too few dentists realise is that even by encouraging their NHS patients (or any patients at all) to 'convert' or sign up to any particular insurance scheme they are potentially contravening Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulations. If they are operating their own insurance schemes they must make sure that their scheme is compliant with all FSA regulations and that they themselves are authorised and regulated by the FSA, which is the regulatory body for insurance intermediaries and insurers in the UK.

The FSA rules dictate that dentists cannot offer any advice on the merits of any dental insurance scheme or recommend any of them to a patient, unless they are authorised to do so. Similarly, dentists cannot accept any premium monies relating to these types of policies from patients and, if they are operating a cash-back scheme, none of this money can be allocated to insurance schemes of any kind.

Any scheme, no matter how small, is deemed to be an insurance product and falls under the rules of the FSA for compliance. Furthermore any scheme with an element of insurance involved in it is subject to the payment of Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).

My group of companies works with many regulated firms. It is in the interests of everybody to ensure a level playing field and adherence to the law.