The General Dental Council (GDC) has published its annual Registration Statistical Report for 2024, showing an increase in the number of dental professionals on the register.
The report, which includes comparison data from previous years, highlights that in December 2024 there were 125,736 dental professionals, made up of 46,362 dentists and 79,374 dental care professionals, on its register.
The most significant change in the register was the 23.5% increase in dental therapists with 1,402 new registrations, and the 9.6% increase in dental hygienists, with 921 new registrations. The number of dental nurses increased by 3,349 (5.4%).
The regulator’s report indicates that 53% of dentists who joined the register in 2024 were UK-qualified, 30% were EEA or rest of world qualified and 16% came through the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) route.
Although the number of dental professionals increased overall, the number of dental technicians declined for the fifth year in a row, with only 5,025 now registered and almost 10% fewer dental technicians compared to 2020.
The GDC’s Registration teams assessed 12,978 applications across all routes, an increase of 13.1% on the previous highest number of applications processed in 2023 (11,476).
There were 9,888 additions to the registers in 2024 (2,164 dentists and 7,724 DCPs).
The report provides a comprehensive overview of registration activity throughout 2024, including detailed information on the number of dental professionals, registration trends, and demographic profiles covering sex, age, and ethnicity.
- The dental register is predominantly female with 78% of all dental professionals identifying as female. (53% of dentists and 93% of DCPs).
- Dental nurses make up over 50% of all those registered with the GDC; 97% of dental nurses are female.
- 30% of dentists are of Asian or Asian British ethnic origin, three times higher when compared to the total UK population.
- 47% of dentists told us they are from White ethnic groups, compared to 75% of DCPs.
Theresa Thorp, Executive Director of Regulation at the General Dental Council (GDC), said: “The significant growth we’ve seen in registered dental professionals throughout 2024 is encouraging news for dental services across the UK. The report highlights the diversity of routes through which dental professionals are joining the register. Our teams have processed a record number of applications and we’re seeing the results of our ongoing work to maintain efficient registration processes. However, the continued decline in dental technicians for the fifth consecutive year remains a concern that requires attention from the wider dental sector.”
The full Registration Statistical Report for 2024 is available here.
