Article
Case presentation abandonment
Your recent editorial considers the intent by Edinburgh to abandon case presentation in its membership examination, without consultation with other concerned bodies. Edinburgh often seems a college chiefly interested in its own political and financial concerns, rather than the well-being of our specialty and patients.
In the 1960s, Edinburgh had no orthodontic diploma, but modified its fellowship exam to include a specialty section, thus encouraging anyone with an English DOrth to take an Edinburgh – rather than an English – fellowship. This move effectively emasculated our specialty politically at the English College for years.
Later, pressure grew to increase the length of orthodontic diploma courses. In 1973, Mills, and also Robertson, recommended a specialist training of 2 years and, in 1977, the Royal Dental Hospital introduced its 2-year MSc, which quickly became 3 years. In 1980, RCS England established its 2-year DOrth, which, in 1988, became the 3-year MOrth. In 1987, Edinburgh had launched its own 1-year diploma.
In the 1990s, concern arose about the proliferation of dental specialty qualifications and the need to comply with European Directives on specialist training. The colleges already offered three orthodontic memberships and the universities their masters' degrees. It appeared that an inter-collegiate orthodontic membership might serve as a template for other specialties, so Glasgow was invited to organize an orthodontic working party with representatives from the four Royal Colleges. Dublin, being then more concerned with arrangements for its FFD, chose not to pursue the membership route, but representatives of the other three colleges met on several occasions, as did the examiners. The possibility of a 3-year MOrth (UK) sometimes seemed almost within our grasp. However, Edinburgh suddenly withdrew its delegates.
The Scottish National Party wishes to break-up the UK – even hoping to re-join the EU! I wonder whether the Edinburgh College Faculty realizes that, should Sturgeon succeed, it may have to reverse its recent decision, in order to comply with the recommendations of the European Professors of Orthodontics?