Preparing students for primary dental care in the Republic of Ireland

There are two dental schools in the Republic of Ireland, graduating approximately 90 new dentists annually following successful completion of a five-year undergraduate course. Currently, once these graduates have been awarded their degree, they have no legal requirement to complete post-graduation training, foundation training or continuing professional development. While the vast majority will do this voluntarily, it sets a high bar for dental educators to prepare these students to practice independently in primary dental care. As in other jurisdictions, there can often be a disconnect between the ethos taught to students for delivering primary dental care in dental schools and remuneration systems once graduates enter the workforce. Changing demographics will need to be reflected in our undergraduate curricula with explicit teaching in the area of gerodontology.