Essentially, the debate is about five key factors: the potential for the current acute Crisis in Frontline Dentistry to become more severe and chronic because of the lack of capacity in academic dentistry research; the unsustainable workload on existing research posts; the piecemeal and inadequate funding of research capacity; potential for the Government's proposals announced a year ago to weaken the existing academic dental research base; and the potentially harmful effects of failing to plan the development of academic dentistry as an integral part of the NHS.