The Irish Dental Association announced that Dr Eamon Croke has been appointed as its 100th president, taking over from Dr Caroline Robbins.

Dr Croke qualified from Dublin University in 1979. Until 1991, he practised in the UK where he undertook a masters programme in Prosthetic Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Hospital, London. On returning to Dublin, he took up practise in Molesworth House in the city centre, where he has been treating patients since 1993.

He is a part-time lecturer in the Dublin Dental University Hospital and has served two terms on the Dental Council. He is also a member of the Irish Dental Association’s GP committee, has chaired its Quality and Patient Safety Committee and held the position of Honorary Treasurer.

Dr Croke set out his priorities for the year ahead during his inaugural speech to the IDA’s annual meeting in May, which include continuing the campaign for reforms within dentistry, the need for statutory Continual Professional Development (CPD) within the profession and the importance of delivering sustainability across the sector.

“I am acutely aware that I am embarking on my term as President during what can only be described as trying and uncertain times for many of our members and the hundreds of thousands of patients that we treat,” he said. “Our profession is at the centre of a recruitment and resourcing crisis with 100 extra public-only dentists in the HSE needed immediately to meet the needs of our rising population.

“I begin my tenure as President at a time when the number of practicing public-only dentists has dropped by almost one quarter over the past 15 years leading to an extreme backlog in our child screening service. It is a perfect storm where there are also fewer dentists available to provide treatment in a chronically unfit-for-purpose medical card scheme.

“Among my immediate priorities will be to carry the messages from this annual meeting to the Department of Health and Minister. We need to work hard on rebuilding trust between both parties to create a respectful, working partnership that has patients and access at its heart.”