Hospital neglect

SIR – As a dentist I recently visited a patient of mine in a general hospital.

I discovered that, in the three months she had been an in-patient, owing to her mental and physical frailty, her teeth had not been brushed and her dentures had not been removed for cleaning.

This kind of neglect is common in institutions. The price of toothpaste in hospital shops (report, May 12) seems minor in comparison. David Berry

London SW20