The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has called for a cap on the number of international students studying dentistry in Ireland, after course places at both Trinity and University College Cork were determined by lottery over high demand.
Fintan Hourihan, Chief Executive of the IDA, told the Irish Examiner that this year’s lottery system amounted to “yet another example of the frustratingly inadequate number of training places available to CAO applicants, despite a very positive high level of interest”.
It is not the first time the IDA has said a cap on foreign students is needed to retain dentists here. In September last year, the organisation called for a cap on students coming from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who take up between a third and almost half of the limited number of spaces available in dental schools here – something the IDA said is contributing to a shortage of dentists in Ireland.
Despite the association calling for a cap of 20% for non-EEA students for 2025, this has not happened. The number of college training places for dentists has remained the same for almost 30 decades despite parts of the country being faced with serious backlogs and a serious recruitment crisis.
Mr Hourihan said that almost 50% of places in Irish dentistry courses are being awarded to non-EEA students who are unlikely to remain in Ireland to practice upon graduation.
This year, dental science at Trinity College Dublin attracted the maximum CAO cut-off points of 625, with almost 1,000 applicants competing through the CAO for just 32 places. University College Cork, meanwhile, saw overall applications for dentistry increase by 18% on last year, with entry to the course this year also determined by random selection.
“It is clear that we need both a substantial increase in training places available nationally, and a cap of 20% on non-EEA students in order to address the workforce crisis impacting the dental sector. It is not just a matter of fairness for prospective students, it is a case of addressing the urgent public health needs inherent to oral healthcare,” Mr Hourihan said.
Earlier in the year, the Association also called for significant investment in Irish dental schools, saying that the HSE public dental service has 23% fewer dentists employed now than in 2009. Mr Hourihan previously said that Irish students who achieved ‘the incredible feat of 625 points in their leaving certificate are having to face a lottery of acceptance into the dentistry courses in TCD and may well face the same in UCC before long.”
He said that not only is the situation extremely disappointing for Irish students, but it is “an unacceptable loss of potential dentists that are badly needed here in Ireland.”
Irish universities often rely on fees generated by international students, with the Irish Universities Association previously valuing the international student market at more than €385 million per year.
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