Dear Editor,

I find all the letters in Vital regarding registration depressing but true. I am one of the lucky ones who has managed to secure a good job within a NHS community setting. I am a dental nurse with four post-qualifications and extended duties in conscious sedation, radiography, fluoride application and delivering oral health advice (all of which I use). I have been in this role for ten years and I always thought that the NHS Agenda for Change dental nurse salary would set a benchmark for all qualified dental nurses – how wrong. Due to the economy and the state of the NHS I continuously doubt my own job security.

Generally within the NHS Trust it had always been that a qualified dental nurse would start as a band 4 then the idea was AFC (Agenda for Change) band 5 description (specialist dental nurse) would include nurses with extended duties and post-qualifications. A lot of nurses here are stuck on band 4 all with two or three post-qualifications, which are all being used and needed to fulfil their duties. Everyone here sees no career progression and feels no benefit from registration.

I have seen recently that the managers within this trust plan to advertise vacant NHS dental nurse roles at band 3 – I find this to be taking a big step back from what registration is meant to be about, after all we may all just go to work in a supermarket/retail shop for the same pay and less responsibility/hassle and strain on our purses.

As I say I am one of the lucky ones but for how much longer? Morale is low at work. The only thing registration has done for me is take a big chunk out of my hard-earned cash and given me the grey cloud over my head that in this blame and claim culture means I may get sued!

We have all been registered for five years yet I see no change that was meant to come in with registration – when will dental nurses' roles, responsibilities and hard work become reflected in our pay?

I'm sorry to moan and I am grateful to be in my job but good roles are very few and far between and I really feel for ALL registered dental nurses. At the end of the day I love my job; registration has not changed how I work or think; I will always work hard and do my best and I love that I contribute to team working and patient care.