Sir, just over 50 years ago I was hanging about, along with some other 4th year dental students, in the 'Cons Hall' of the old Glasgow Dental Hospital and School waiting for our patients to arrive. At the same time, in the far corner of the hall, a small group of 5th year students, who were resitting their final degree exam in senior operative dental surgery, clustered anxiously, also awaiting the arrival of their patients. After some ten minutes one of our lecturers approached our group, telling us that a patient had failed to attend for the exam and he was looking for a volunteer to step into the breach.

As the resit exam comprised of the preparation and impression of a Class II gold inlay, and as I had small mesial and distal cavities in tooth 15, I was quickly ushered into the chair. The student, already under some considerable pressure, administered local anaesthetic and nervously began his preparation of the tooth. As it was considered the equivalent of presenting a loaded gun to a lunatic in a crowded room, students were not permitted to use air turbines and so the cavity was prepared using steel burs inserted into a pulley-driven slow speed handpiece.

Eventually, after much sweat and tension, the cavity was prepared and examined by the visiting examiner, a high profile academic from one of the London schools. Next, two impressions were taken, one of the cavity and tooth using a copper band with greenstick compo and the second an alginate locating impression. These were also examined. Lastly the tooth was dressed and I was dismissed, within the allotted exam time. Then came the agonising wait for the results, for to fail the resit meant expulsion from the course. Tragically the visiting examiner failed the student. For what reason I can only guess but a week or so later a classmate and close friend, who eventually rose through the ranks to become Dean of Glasgow Dental Hospital and School, collected the gold inlay from the laboratory. After checking fit, occlusion, retention and margins and finding the inlay perfect in every way it was cemented into place using oxyphosphate cement with no need for any adjustment. That gold inlay is still in place, untouched and trouble free for more than 50 years.

As luck would have it the next year the same visiting examiner also failed me in senior operative dental surgery but fortunately I passed the resit, was awarded my degree and settled down to a rewarding career in general practice in Glasgow's East End for 47 years. To my shame I never was able to catch up with that student to tell him of the success of his restoration. Maybe it was better that he never knew.

1. Glasgow