THE GOVERNMENT HAS approved draft legislation that would make ongoing professional training a legal requirement for dentists, giving the Dental Council new powers to take action against those who fail to keep their skills up to date.

Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said in a statement this morning that she had recently received cabinet approval for the General Scheme of the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, which will place Continuing Professional Development (CPD) on a statutory footing.

While dentists are already expected to undertake CPD as part of their professional and ethical obligations, the requirement is not currently set out in legislation.

The proposed changes would amend the Dentists Act 1985 and bring dentistry into line with other regulated health professions, such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists, where ongoing professional competence is a legal requirement.

The move follows long-standing calls from the Dental Council and the Irish Dental Association for a statutory CPD system.

The Department of Health said the legislation would allow the Dental Council to intervene where dentists fail to comply with CPD requirements, rather than waiting until a fitness-to-practise complaint has been made.

Minister Carroll MacNeill said the changes would help ensure dentists remain “at the forefront of innovation” and continue to provide safe, high-quality care.

“Our health service depends on professionals who are fully supported to maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills, and who are empowered to work to the highest standards of their profession,” Carroll MacNeill said.

The Department said the reforms are intended to strengthen patient safety, maintain public confidence in the profession and provide a new framework setting out the obligations of dentists, employers and the Dental Council.

The General Scheme will now be drafted into legislation before progressing through the Oireachtas.