The General Dental Council (GDC) is checking how much continuing professional development (CPD) dentists have completed.

Dentists who first registered with the Council between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2001 (and were on the Register at 31 December 2001) should now have met the GDC’s CPD requirements. These dentists have until 8 March to let the GDC know the hours they have done in 2006, and to confirm their total for the whole five-year cycle.

In spring 2007 the GDC will also select a random sample of this group and seek proof of the CPD they have completed over the previous five years.

If a dentist has not completed the minimum 250 hour requirement, they face being removed from the GDC’s registers, losing their right to practise in the UK. After the March deadline, the Council will get in touch with any dentists this applies to and explain the urgent steps they must take to avoid losing their registration.

GDC Chief Executive and Registrar Duncan Rudkin said:

“The General Dental Council’s rules give public recognition to the commitment of the vast majority of dentists to keeping their knowledge and skills up to date.

“Dentists need to maintain accurate records of their CPD and be open to having those records reviewed by the Council, so that we can assure the public that dentists are continuing to demonstrate their positive commitment to high professional and clinical standards.”

Dentists who first registered with the Council in other years (apart from 2006), and are part-way through a CPD cycle, have also been sent CPD annual returns which are to be returned by March.  

Dentists needing more information about CPD should contact the GDC on 020 7887 3800, at gdcregistration@gdc-uk.org or visit the GDC website at http://www.gdc-uk.org/Current+registrant/CPD+requirements/.

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For media enquiries, please contact Rachel Lea on 020 7009 2782.

Notes to editors:

1. The GDC’s compulsory CPD requirements were introduced in January 2002 to encourage dentists to update and develop their skills and knowledge for the benefit of patients and the profession.  All dentists must complete 250 hours of CPD every five years.  At least 75 of these hours must be spent on verifiable CPD, and documentary evidence of these activities must be kept.

2. Every year the GDC writes to all dentists to ask them to make a declaration of the number of hours they have spent on CPD.

3. The CPD requirements were rolled out to all dentists in three phases. The table below shows when dentists will complete their first CPD cycle.
 
If you are already a registered dentist

4. The GDC is currently consulting on compulsory CPD requirements for dental care professionals, which it proposes to introduce in July 2008.  The consultation document is available on the GDC website at http://www.gdc-uk.org/News+publications+and+events/Consultations/.  The closing date for responses is 16 March 2007.