Sir, I write to respond to the misinformation published in the letter in a recent issue of the BDJ (BDJ 2015; 219: 146–147) by Dr P Neville.

The Irish Prison Service has a well-developed healthcare service with published standards, including protocols for both emergency and routine dental care. Contrary to what was stated, all the closed prisons in Ireland have at least one dental surgery on site. In the five Dublin prisons, for example, there are 21 treatment sessions available each week for prisoners.

No doubt this will be reflected in the review commissioned by the Inspector of Prisons, Judge Michael Reilly, to which Professor Andrew Coyle, Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies, University of London has contributed, and which is due for publication shortly.

1. Dublin