Sir, given all the doom and gloom that is constantly being reported about the general economy I thought I would share my view on the business of dentistry – it is alive and kicking!

We have been valuing and selling dental practices for longer than most dentists can remember and 2009 has started like most years. There is a real hunger to buy dental practices across the board, from young recently qualified dentists through to the Dental Body Corporates. The value of dental practices are holding up, which perhaps isn't surprising given the demand and good profitability we see in most practices.

Whilst there is no doubt 2009 will present a range of challenges, I believe that dentistry has the opportunity to rise to these challenges and continue to perform well.