Fee must be paid for dental care professionals to stay registered

Dental care professionals (DCPs) who haven’t yet paid their annual retention fee (ARF) to the General Dental Council (GDC) are running out of time.  Payments from them must be received on or before 31 July 2010 if they want to remain on the GDC’s register and eligible to work. No payments can be processed after the deadline.

All dental care professionals must be registered with the GDC to work in the UK, giving patients reassurance that they are meeting GDC standards. For the third year in a row the fee is £96 for dental nurses, dental technicians, dental therapists, dental hygienists, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists.

The GDC’s Head of Registration, Gurvinder Soomal, said: 

“The GDC has more than 57,000 DCPs on its register and we want to thank those who have already paid this year’s ARF. We now want to make sure that every dental care professional who wants to stay on our register understands they must pay by 31 July. If you haven’t paid yet please get in touch as soon as possible. If your employer normally pays for you – check they’ve done so again this year. If you lead a team, check whether your colleagues are up to date. You can also let us know if you have decided to take a career break or not to stay on the register.”

Any DCPs who fail to make the payment will be removed from the GDC’s register and will no longer be able to work legally in the UK. If they decide to apply to rejoin the register they will have to pay a higher fee of £120.

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Advice and Information Team on 0845 222 4141 or by email information@gdc-uk.org

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For media enquiries, please contact Moira Alderson on 020 7009 2756 or malderson@gdc-uk.org

Notes to editors:

• The deadline for dentists to pay their ARF remains 31 December each year.