DCPs - must complete, and keep records of, at least 150 hours of CPD over five years. A minimum of 50 of these hours must be verifiable CPD.
Dentists - must complete, and keep records of, at least 250 hours of CPD over five years. A minimum of 75 of these hours must be verifiable CPD.

(See 'What is verifiable CPD' below for a definition of verifiable CPD).

We recognise that CPD provision for DCPs is currently developing. For this reason we are recommending that for the first five-year cycle DCPs carry out 150 hours of CPD in total. After this time we intend to review the hours total for DCPs.

CPD is a condition of continued registration. It applies to all registrants, including for example those who work part-time, are retired but want to remain on the register and temporary registrants.

The start date of your first CPD cycle will depend on the date that you were first registered with the General Dental Council. Please check the CPD start date tables on the CPD homepage.

The CPD scheme for DCPs registered by 31 July 2008 will start on 1 August 2008.

No. You can only count activities done within your 5-year cycle

No. Continuing professional development is a requirement of registration.

To be verifiable CPD, the activity must have:

1. concise educational aims and objectives;

2. clear anticipated outcomes;

3. quality controls (i.e there must be an opportunity for you to give feedback on what you think of it);

4. you must obtain and keep documentary proof of your attendance/participation from an appropriate third party. An example (in Word format) in available from the right hand menu.

It is your responsibility to check with the course provider that the activity meets the educational criteria and to get a certificate. If you don't, you can't count the activity as verifiable.

If you're not sure whether an activity meets all the criteria for verifiable CPD, you should check with the activity provider. If it doesn't meet every one of the four criteria, you will not be able to count it as verifiable (though you will still be able to count it towards your general CPD - see 'What is general CPD?').

Activities which are of benefit to your continuing professional development but which are self-directed - for example, journal reading.

The recommended core subjects and suggested minimum number of verifiable hours per CPD cycle that all registrants should spend on them are:

- medical emergencies (at least 10 hours per CPD cycle)
- disinfection and decontamination (at least 5 hours per CPD cycle)
- radiography and radiation protection (at least 5 hours per CPD cycle)

In addition, the GDC recommends that registrants working in a clinical or laboratory environment or who are in any way involved in the care of patients carry out CPD (verifiable or general) to make sure they are up to date in:

- legal and ethical issues
- complaints handling

Exception for dental technicians: Dental technicians should substitute radiography and radiation protection for materials and equipment (5 hours per cycle) as the application of radiography is not within the dental technician curriculum. In all other respects we are recommending that dental technicians carry out the same core verifiable CPD subjects as other dental professionals.

Dentists who first registered with the GDC before 2006 should incorporate these core subject areas into their CPD from the beginning of their second CPD cycle.

The GDC does not approve or accredit any CPD activities. If a course meets the educational criteria and you have a certificate, then you can count it as verifiable, but it is up to you to check this with the course provider.

Yes. The recording of CPD is the responsibility of the individual dental professional. If you are asked to submit your records to the Council, you should provide certificates for all the CPD you claim as verifiable. Without this evidence, you will not be able to record the activity as verifiable.

Yes. It should confirm the course details, hours of CPD activity, and be signed by a third party. You must remember to keep your copy as this will act as your proof.

The GDC has produced a recording form showing the information you should keep. You can design your own recording method. Whatever method you use, you must make sure you include the following information:

* Your name and GDC registration number
* Date of course/activity
* Title of course/activity
* Venue (where appropriate)
* The name of the course provider and company/organisation
* Whether you are counting the activity as verifiable CPD or general CPD
* The number of CPD hours you spent on the activity
An example of CPD recording form (in Word format) is available from the right hand menu.

No. You should use your judgement as to what CPD would be of benefit to you and your patients - it is up to you.

Yes. If they meet the educational criteria for verifiable CPD and you get a certificate from the course provider proving how many CPD hours you did.

No. Your Postgraduate Dental Dean or your professional association will have a list of both publicly-funded and private courses. Courses are also advertised in professional journals and Specialist societies and Royal Colleges also run courses.

Examples of some organisations that you can contact who provide both verifiable and general CPD and a list of dental Journals that either provide CPD or advertise ways in which you can complete CPD are listed in the step by step guide to CPD which you can access by clicking on the link on the right hand side of this page. Both these lists are far from exhaustive and there are a number of other providers and dental publications not listed. The GDC does not accredit or endorse these or any other CPD providers.

You should speak to your local postgraduate deanery or your professional association about verifiable activities. A local BDA branch or section may also provide verifiable activities.

Alternatively, some companies are offering verifiable CPD on the Internet and on CD-Rom. Be patient - CPD is a growth area and both commercial and non-commercial course providers will watch the market carefully and produce events accordingly.

The GDC recommends that dentists and DCPs retain their UK registration if they intend to take a break from practice or work abroad for a time, but wish to return to work in the UK at a later date.

The CPD "clock" will continue to tick if you come off the Register. In other words, if you leave the Register and wish to restore in the future, you will be asked to show completion of CPD, to a maximum of 250 hours for dentists and 150 hours for DCPs, in order to be able to restore.

The GDC recommends that dentists try to do 50 hours and DCPs 30 hours of CPD a year, so that they do not put themselves under pressure to complete the required CPD on time.

You should bear in mind that the CPD requirement is underpinned by the GDC's ethical guidance "Standards for dental professionals", which requires dentists to continue professional education on a regular and frequent basis throughout their professional life.

Doing all your CPD in one year, whether at the beginning or the end of the cycle, will not demonstrate that you have kept up to date throughout the cycle.

Please do not send your recording form and documentary evidence to the GDC, unless you are asked to do so. After the end of a five year cycle a number of registrants who have completed the cycle will be selected at random and asked to produce their CPD records, including documentary proof of their verifiable CPD, for audit.

A legal requirement of CPD is that you have to complete an annual statement of the number of both verifiable and general CPD hours you have completed in the previous twelve months. A declaration form will be sent to you shortly after the end of each year of the cycle.

You face removal from the Register. This means that you will not be able to work as a dentist or DCP anywhere in the UK.

No, CPD is a requirement of registration. At the end of your first five year cycle you will then start on a new five-year cycle and this process will continue throughout your career.

It is the dental professionals responsibility to submit accurate CPD returns and they should not routinely record attendance at a trade show as verifiable. Instead they should consider whether it should more accurately be recorded as general CPD.

A CPD activity completed at a trade show with the following criteria can be recorded as verifiable - concise educational aims and objectives; clear anticipated outcomes; quality controls (i.e. there should be the opportunity to give feedback); and the participant must obtain and keep documentary proof (e.g. a certificate) of their participation from an appropriate third party (e.g. the activity provider/organiser). The third party must be able to confirm without doubt that a dental professional has participated in the verifiable CPD event.