The General Dental Council (GDC) has published its annual Registration and Fitness to Practise statistical reports for 2022.

Both reports include comparison data from previous years to better show any trends or changes over time.

The Registration report shows that, overall, the numbers of registered dental professionals have remained stable, with a 0.6% increase compared to 2021. In December 2022 there were 44,000 dentists and 71,000 dental care professionals (DCP) on our registers.

There were 7,384 additions to the registers in 2022 (1,968 dentists and 5,406 DCPs). Forty-six percent of new dentists who joined the register in 2022 qualified outside of the UK and there were 160 new dentists who joined the register through the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) route, which restarted in 2022.

Half of all newly registered Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists were not UK qualified. These were almost all overseas qualified dentists who had applied for registration as a hygienist and/or therapist.

The Fitness to Practise report shows that the GDC received 1,264 concerns in 2022. (down 7% compared to 2021). On average, of every 100 cases the GDC received, 84% were closed through assessment and case examiner reviews, with only 16% progressing to a practice committee hearing. The GDC held 84 Practice Committee hearings in 2022 (31 fewer than in 2021, down 27%). There were 18 dental professionals erased from the GDC’s registers in 2022 following a Practice Committee hearing, compared to 17 in 2021 and 25 in 2020.

The report also shows that dental professionals who live in London or the South East are more likely to have a fitness to practise concern raised against them, compared to all other regions of the UK.

John Cullinane, Executive Director, Fitness to Practice, said: “These reports offer an interesting summary of two important facets of the GDC’s regulatory remit. This is the second year we have published EDI data in the context of fitness to practise and we continue to look at how we can use this in our work to ensure there is no discrimination in any of our processes.

“What we do know is that EDI analysis is complex and, I would ask you not to use the data in our reports in isolation to draw conclusions as many other factors may be relevant, such as practice location, size or local demographics.”

The full reports can be read online on the GDC’s website.

The General Dental Council (GDC) has tripled the number places of Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) Part 1 in response to the current demand.  

The ORE must be passed by all dentists who qualify outside the UK or the EU and who want to join the GDC register to practise in the UK.  

There will be 600 places available for the August 2023 sitting of the ORE Part 1, instead of the usual 200. The GDC currently has around 1,500 candidates to sit Part 1, and the additional capacity announced today will provide for 1,800 places over three sittings. 

The GDC has been working with partners to increase the number of ORE places available to candidates and will maintain these numbers for future sittings in 2024.    

Booking will open to candidates on 15 June and remain open until all places are filled. The GDC anticipates a high level of demand for places and is encouraging candidates to secure a place as soon as possible if they are in a position to sit the exam.  

The boost in candidate numbers will mean a slightly longer timeframe to complete the quality assurance process on exam results, increasing from the current 20 working days for 200 candidates to 30 working days for 600 candidates.   

Gurvinder Soomal, Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are pleased to have secured these additional places for the part 1 ORE exam and we’ve let candidates know about the increase in availability. We’ve worked with our partners at King’s College London to secure this extra capacity and it’s positive that more candidates can now secure their place on Part 1 of the ORE.”   

Government proposals that pave the way for full scale reform of the regulatory frameworks of all healthcare professional regulators, including the GDC, will close for comments today.  

As the regulator of the UK dental team, while the GDC strongly supports the government’s reform intentions, it has considerable reservations about how effective these proposals will be in modernising healthcare regulation. 

The GDC is particularly concerned about the proposed framework for fitness to practise (initial assessment and grounds for impairment), the proposed introduction of the need to prove an intent to deceive in illegal practice, and the proposals on fee-setting.  In many places, the draft legislation is simply not clear, creating risks of uncertainty and confusion if it is not improved. 

But the GDC’s greatest concern is that it still does not have even an indicative timetable for reform of the Dentists Act, which means the opportunity for improvement is still years away.     

The consultation, issued by the Department of Health and Social Care, Regulating anaesthesia associates  and physician associates, sets out draft legislation to bring these two professional titles into regulation. While the GDC welcomes this next step in the regulatory reform programme, the pace needs to be much faster to ensure the GDC is an efficient, effective and proportionate regulator.  

Stefan Czerniawski, GDC Executive Director, Strategy, said: “Inadequate and outdated legislation is a serious obstacle to effective regulation and the need for reform is increasingly urgent. While it is good to see some progress being made, the pace of change is still disappointingly slow. The current legislative framework continues to limit our ability to adapt to meet the changing needs of patients and the dental team, and to drive improvements across our regulatory functions.” 

The GDC has set out its concerns in detail in its response to the consultation.  

You will find a short summary of the GDC’s concerns on the GDC’s regulatory reform webpage. 

Consultation closes 11.45pm 16 May 2023.

The General Dental Council (GDC) has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2022.

2022 saw the launch of the Dental Professional Hearings Service in June. This further highlighted the independence of the hearings function from the GDC’s investigation and prosecution remit.

The GDC was also busy throughout the year working to progress the legislative changes needed to remove unnecessary constraints on how the overseas registration examination (ORE) is run, and to provide greater flexibility in future.

The new legislation took longer than the GDC had been told it would and eventually became law in March this year. However, many of the changes will not come into effect or have any impact until after March 2024. This will have operational and contractual consequences for the GDC as the existing arrangements remained in place for longer than it was expected.

Rising inflationary pressures have also added further challenges, creating additional uncertainly around the GDC’s future income and expenditure. If high inflation is sustained, the GDC may need to increase the level of the annual retention fee in 2024 and 2025 but any such increase will, at most, be in line with the rate of inflation at the time.

In their joint statement within the Annual Report and Accounts, the GDC’s Chair, Lord Toby Harris, and Chief Executive, Ian Brack, said:

“Reform of legislation governing international routes to registration moved a step closer when the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published the outcome of the public consultation on its proposed changes to the legislation and started the parliamentary approval process.

“However, while removing the overly prescriptive constraints is a vital first step to creating a more effective registration system, the new powers come into effect 12 months after the legislation is laid and we will need time in 2023 and beyond to develop new approaches, carry out the required consultation on new rules and follow mandatory process to procure the supply of necessary services.”

You can view the highlights from the Annual Report and Accounts 2022, including the full message from the Chair and Chief Executive, or download the full report, on the GDC’s website.

As part of the General Dental Council’s (GDC) approach to strategic planning, the regulator has today published its Costed Corporate Plan 2023 – 2025.

This year’s plan sets out what the GDC will do over the next three years, the fees that it will charge, and includes its forecast of income and expenditure for 2023, as well as reporting on its progress in 2022. 

The pandemic has continued to impact the GDC’s work that can be delivered and is still having a significant impact on the dental sector and wider economic landscape. The GDC has continued to deliver its statutory purpose throughout the pandemic; to protect patient safety and ensure that the public have confidence in the services provided by dental professionals. In order to do this, the regulator reprioritised some work to ensure that it continued to operate efficiently and effectively.  

The GDC has been able to deliver much of what it set out to do at the start of the year. The regulator’s plan for 2023 – 2025 will enable it to continue to deliver against its regulatory remit. 

This year’s publication includes:  

• An overview of the GDC’s Corporate Strategy for 2023 – 2025, which was published in early 2023. Integral to this is its four new strategic aims. All its activity aligned with at least one of these aims.
• A review of the 2022 plan, including achievements and progress made, and a summary of the unplanned work undertaken in 2022.
• A summary of the 57 projects on the 2023 – 2025 work programme, by strategic aim.
• The GDC’s forecast expenditure for 2023 – 2025 which shows an increase of 1.3% compared to the agreed budget set in 2022. This is due toincreased resource requirements across its support services as part of the regulator ensuring compliance, and inflationary pressures. 
• Details of the Annual Retention Fees for the next three years. However, if high inflation is sustained, Council will consider if the fees should increase in 2024 and 2025 but any increase will, at most, be in line with the rate of inflation at the time.

This year’s plan supports the GDC’s ambition of creating greater understanding of the relationship between our regulatory activity by strategic aim, and the fees that it charges.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is seeking around 40 new panellists to join its Fitness to Practise Panel.

Those engaged in this important role will make a vital contribution to public safety and public confidence in dental professionals, as part of the statutory committees that make decisions about dental professionals’ fitness to practise.

This unique and flexible position will enable those engaged to expand their careers and develop their skills, all while helping to improve patient safety and public confidence in the profession across the UK.

As the regulator for dental professionals, the GDC’s role includes investigating patients’ concerns about professionals and coming to determinations about their fitness to practise dentistry in the UK. These decisions are made by members of statutory committees at public adjudication hearings held by the Dental Professionals Hearings Service. Those who hear cases and sit on committees are drawn from an independent Fitness to Practise Panel.

The GDC is looking for both lay people and dental professionals, from a range of backgrounds, to take part on a self-employed basis, in a role designed to fit around other work commitments. 

This rewarding role requires a commitment of approximately 25 weekdays per year, and panellists need to be available on weekdays for a minimum of one week and up to three weeks at a time. Induction and annual development workshops are provided to successful applicants.

The GDC is looking for applicants who can demonstrate the following competencies:

• Understanding and interpreting rules, standards and guidance.
• Working with others on complex and sensitive issues.
• Professional communication skills.
• Embodying the values of fairness, integrity and respect.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.

The GDC is particularly keen to encourage applications from dental care professionals (DCPs), people from black, Asian, or other ethnic minority backgrounds, and those with a disability.

Michelle Williams, Executive Manager of the Dental Professionals Hearings Service (DPHS), said: “Panellists play an important role in maintaining public safety and confidence in dentistry while learning new skills in a rewarding way. No two hearings are the same, making this an interesting role and one that will really make a difference. So, if you think you can make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.” 

Further information and how to apply: https://www.gdc-uk.org/about-us/who-we-are/fitness-to-practise-panel/join-our-fitness-to-practise-panel

The General Dental Council (GDC) has published updated specialty curricula. This sets out the specialist knowledge, skills and capabilities that trainees need in order to attain the award of the Certificate of Completion of Specialty Training, be admitted onto the GDC Specialist Lists and be eligible to use the title ‘Specialist’.  

This means that patients can have continued confidence that the specialists who treat them are qualified, trained and competent. 

The updated curricula are more relevant to trainees and will enable training programmes to better support them to succeed and achieve the highest standards. They also provide guidance to trainees to help them demonstrate appropriate personal and professional values and behaviours. 

Each of the curricula provides an outline of the scope, delivery and assessment of the training required to enable a dentist to be recognised by the GDC as a Specialist in one of the 13 curricula in the UK. They have been developed using a new template which remains consistent and compatible with the GDC’s existing standards. 

The new curriculum will be in use by all new specialty trainees between September 2023 and September 2024, depending on the curricula implementation date. 

This updated guidance is intended to be used by Royal Colleges, Postgraduate Deaneries and education providers as a guide for assessing individual applications for entry onto the GDC’s Specialist Lists. 

The current curricula were last reviewed more than ten years ago and no longer reflect clinical developments in each of the specialties. The reviewed curricula also reflect the GDC’s own revised Standards for Specialty Education, which was published in 2019.  

Amy Mullins-Downes, Quality Assurance Manager, said: “After exceptional effort, commitment and partnership working, we are now in a position to publish 12 of the 13 curricula for training in specialist dentistry. The improvements made will ensure that the curricula remained achievable, effective, up-to-date and enable a level of consistency in quality, despite the differing facilities and programme structures across the four nations.  

“The GDC would like to thank all stakeholders involved, including the Specialty Advisory Committees (SACs), the four UK statutory Education Bodies and the associated Royal Colleges and Universities.” 

The General Dental Council (GDC) is consulting on a proposal to improve guidance to make it easier for dental professionals to understand what they need to report to their regulator, in the interests of patient safety and maintaining public confidence.

The proposal is new ‘Guidance on reporting matters to the GDC’ that will build upon and replace the current Guidance on reporting criminal proceedings. 

The proposed guidance will not introduce new requirements for dental professionals but will bring together, in one place, guidance related to all matters which need to be reported to the regulator. 

Dental professionals are required to report to the GDC any concerns they may have about their own or another dental professional’s health, conduct, or performance that may risk patient safety or public confidence in the dental profession. They must also report any criminal or regulatory proceedings that they may be subject to. The new guidance will cover all these matters.

The GDC will be welcoming feedback by 8 June when the consultation closes. 

Stefan Czerniawski, GDC Executive Director, Strategy, said: “This proposal aims to improve our guidance to make it easier for dental professionals to understand what they need to report to us. These changes are part of our wider ambition to promote professional behaviours, skills, and attributes across dentistry. Consultation is an important stage in the development of guidance, as the responses we receive will help us ensure that the final version is clear and effective – so I strongly encourage dental professionals and others with an interest to respond.”