What you can expect from your dental professional

As a patient, you need to be able to trust the professionals who provide your dental care. You need to know that they meet professional standards. And, if things go wrong and you are not happy with the dental care you have received, you need to know there is somebody who can help.

This page explains what we do at the General Dental Council to give you the assurances you need about your dental care.

About us

Our purpose is to protect dental patients in the UK. We register qualified dental professionals – whether they work in the NHS, in private practice, or in any other form of practice – and set and monitor the standards they must follow throughout their working lives. We must answer to Parliament for our work.

Our registers

By law, all dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists who provide your dental care must be registered with us. To join our registers, these dental professionals need to prove that they are trained and qualified, and are of good character. To look for your dental professional on our registers click on the search our registers button at the top of this page, or contact us for further information.

Registration for dental nurses and dental technicians will be compulsory from 31 July 2008. Follow the link to find out more about Dental care professional registration.

Some dentists with special training or experience are also on our Specialist Lists and can call themselves a ‘specialist’. They must show us how they are qualified to use that title before they can join these lists. Other dentists may work in particular areas of dentistry (for example, orthodontics) but they are not allowed to call themselves a specialist unless they are on these lists. You can find out which dentists are specialists from this website (select 'Look for a Specialist'  from the left-hand menu) or by contacting us.

Maintaining high standards

As professionals in a position of responsibility and trust, your dentist and the other members of the team providing your dental care are expected to maintain a high standard of professional and personal conduct. We make this a condition of their continued registration with us.

All dental professionals must:

• put your interests first and act to protect you;
• respect your dignity and choices;
• keep all information about you confidential;
• co-operate with other members of the dental team and other healthcare colleagues;
• maintain their professional knowledge and skills; and
• be trustworthy.

Keeping up to date

Although all dental professionals have a duty to keep their skills and knowledge up to date right through their working life, your dentist must now do this by law. They have to complete 250 hours of continuing professional development every five years to stay on our register. This might mean, for example, taking refresher courses in the latest techniques for sterilising dental instruments or learning about new dental materials.

Helping you if things go wrong

Most dental professionals are skilled, conscientious people who you can trust. But if you are not happy with the dental care you have received, how do you raise your concerns?

We usually recommend that you try to sort out the problem locally first - there should be an in-house complaints procedure where you received the treatment. You can find out more about the different options open to you, including how we can help you, from this website. If you think a dental professional’s skills, health or behaviour raise patient safety issues, or they have fallen seriously short of the standards expected of them, you should contact us. We will tell you whether we can investigate and what action we can take. In the most serious cases, we can stop people from practising, or limit their practice, if necessary. For more information, please select 'Reporting unfitness to practise' from the menu on the left.

Your rights

Before you agree to any dental treatment, you should ask yourself these questions.

• Do you know whether the planned treatment will be provided under the NHS or privately?
• Do you know the likely cost? If a price list is not on display in the practice, you can ask to see one.
• Do you understand what the planned treatment involves? Ask for a written treatment plan, if you would find that helpful.
• Has your dentist told you if there are other treatment options?
• Do you have all the information you need to make an informed decision?

If you have any concerns, you should ask your dental professional for more information.