Sir, I found the editorial on debt collecting (BDJ 2007; 203: 61) an interesting read. In summary, the editorial pointed out that there is a growing popularity of the notion that newly qualified dentists should give back more time and commitment to the NHS, since they were trained at great expense by the Government. This notion was supported by Keith Barron MP (chairman of the Common's Health Select Committee), Joyce Robbins (co-director of Patient Concern) and some media groups.

I can only respond by making three comments.

Firstly, I agree that the training of dental students is mainly funded by the Government. However, dental students do spend a minimum of three years of their training, examining and treating patients in a wide variety of dental disciplines. Therefore, any concern about Government expenditure on dental students' training is more than repaid by the students providing a clinical service, under supervised care, to patients who require dental treatment.

Secondly, it is difficult to enforce newly qualified dentists to commit to the NHS (primary care), as this notion could be in breach of restriction of trade, which is nowadays disallowed. As long as dentists are able to provide a service to the interest of the public, it is irrelevant under which system they can work in. It is wholly unreasonable to enforce newly qualified dentists to sign up to NHS work, as dentists should be free to choose under which conditions to work in.

Thirdly, media groups are free to report and provide opinions on issues that are in the public interest. However, in my opinion, some media groups act irresponsibly and those that do are poorly regulated. I find this surprising, considering the powerful persuasive influence the media can have on society and the nation.

The perilous state of NHS dentistry is due to poor policy decisions and planning by top and senior Government officials and the Department of Health. Unfortunately, there was insignificant consultation between the dental profession and Government officials/bodies that resulted in unilateral thinking and implementation of change in dentistry.

I agree with the editor that the only debt the dental profession owes is the provision of duty and care to its patients with relevant needs.