Sir, I was interested to read the recent BDJ research article from the Bart's hospital team1 especially as the Bart's team provided other medical interventions, with ENT, ophthalmology or other colleagues during the same general anaesthetic as the dental care for people with severe learning disabilities (LD).

Back in 1980 I managed to negotiate a monthly dental care session in main theatres of a local general hospital in Surrey providing dental care for severe LD patients. The dental care was carried out by community dental service personnel but using hospital theatre clinicians and beds as necessary.

I recall working in my local hospital with a podiatry colleague during the same GA procedures, although we never managed to both work at different ends of the patient at the same time, we usually did the podiatry first then the dentistry.