Plan to boost number of dentists from overseas

PLANS to increase the number of overseas dentists working in the UK have been dubbed a "quick fix".

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The government has announced plans to increase exam places that overseas-trained dentists need to work in the UK.

But the British Dental Association (BDA) said that changes to immigration rules would make it harder for dentists from abroad to stay in the UK for the long-term.

At the moment there is a backlog of thousands of dentists waiting to take exams, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

There have been reports of fully-qualified dentists who trained overseas working in fast-food restaurants while they wait to take the exams.