It stated that price benchmarks for treatments such as wisdom tooth operations and root canals will be available on the Ministry of Health's (MOH) website.

The report also said that MOH will set up a register of dental specialists to raise professional standards, and increase the number of dentists by recognising the degrees from 55 more American and Canadian dental schools.

These are laudable objectives.

However, I would like to raise some concerns as a very senior dental practitioner who has been actively involved in regional and international dentistry for more than two decades.

To raise the standard of dental services by focusing on the development of dental specialists instead of general dentists will lead to unanticipated escalation of dental charges in the long term.

While agreeing that more good dental schools' degrees should be recognised, this will not solve the shortfall of 653 dentists based on a ratio of one dentist for every 2,500 people.

There is a high probability that dentists from newly recognised dental schools will focus their practice on well-off foreigners and the more affluent Singaporeans. While the raw figures of dentists to population ratio may improve, it will not give a true picture of a shortfall of dentists in the heartland where the services are most needed.

The setting up of a specialist register is certainly a welcome development so long as dental specialists are restricted to their speciality. When specialists are allowed to do other areas of dentistry which are not within their scope of expertise - under the guise of a holistic approach - this would result in patients paying the specialists higher charges for non-specialist treatment.

In recent years, time and again, I have seen my younger colleagues in practice referring fairly straightforward cases of broken roots and decayed teeth to specialists as they, seemingly, are unable to handle them.

It would be better for the public if more knowledge, more information and training could be given at undergraduate level to enable young dentists to hone their skills and expertise.

Only the more difficult and unusual cases should rightly be referred to the appropriate dental specialist.

This will benefit the public especially in these days of escalating health bills.

Dr Oliver Hennedige