Letters to the Editor

The recent coronavirus outbreak has forced the NHS to adapt faster than ever before. Healthcare professionals from all areas have been left with many questions surrounding the uncertainties that lie ahead, and within this group the Foundation Dentists (FDs) have been particularly affected. Redeployment is at the centre of holding our NHS together at this time, but not all FDs have experienced this and have been left wondering how to fill their time. The way in which this will shape the future of the profession is hard to predict. The FDs of today are facing challenges that neither undergraduate nor postgraduate training could have prepared them for.

The dental foundation training year, usually 12 months of clinical experience including study days and workplace based assessments, has been cut short for the 2019 FD intake, leaving many concerned by the possible consequences to their future careers.¹ Studies on foundation training have shown that ‘assessment plays an integral role in helping clinicians identify and respond to their own learning needs'.² So what has been recommended for FDs to help them keep their clinical knowledge up-to-date and continue to develop in the absence of direct clinical experience?