Is direct access ethical?

Traditionally, since the Dentist's Act made a qualifying dental degree or diploma compulsory, the career path to become a dentist was unidirectional and not often deviated from. It is the same pathway that I myself followed; I left school after A-levels at 18 and went straight to dental school, gaining my degree and registration to practice dental surgery five years later. There is now the increasing trend, for people to train as one dental professional, to then return to education and re-train as another. This mobility within the profession can only be beneficial to patients as those wanting to re-train often show increased determination and ambition to provide a high standard of care, as well as having a broadened experience of the profession. The most common professionals to re-train are dental nurses and hygiene-therapists, often becoming dental surgeons. The cynic might say that the financial aspect to becoming a dentist was the main motivation to do this, but I feel that the ability to diagnose, the increased clinical responsibility and freedom are more likely to be the main motivation. Financial reward is important but if it is the sole reason to practise it does not lead to a happy and fulfilled career.