The General Dental Council (GDC) today confirmed that further sittings of the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) will be held in late 2025 and early 2026, while the procurement process to award new contracts continues.
These sittings build on those delivered in the first half of 2025 and are intended to maintain exam availability during the transition to new contractual arrangements.
This will provide 1,800 places on ORE Part 1 and 576 places on ORE Part 2 in the next year:
- ORE Part 1: August 2025, December 2025, April 2026 – 600 places per sitting
- ORE Part 2: September 2025, November 2025, January 2026, April 2026 – 144 places per sitting
The exact dates for each sitting will be confirmed in due course. All eligible candidates will be contacted directly with further information.
The GDC is currently progressing a large-scale procurement process to award new contracts for both parts of the ORE. It anticipates announcing the new contract awards in autumn 2025.
“We understand how important the ORE is for those seeking to register as dentists in the UK. These sittings are part of our efforts to respond to candidate demand and ensure continued access to the exam while longer-term arrangements are put in place,” said Theresa Thorp, Executive Director of Regulation at the GDC.
The GDC remains committed to supporting candidates throughout this process and will continue to provide timely updates.
