‘Licensed to Practise’, which was launched at this week’s Citizens Advice annual conference, explains the high standards patients can expect from the professionals who provide their dental care. It also offers advice on the sorts of questions patients should ask themselves when considering dental treatment.

Antony Townsend, GDC Chief Executive and Registrar said:

"The new leaflet recognises the professionalism of the members of the dental team and should help boost patient confidence. We hope that dental professionals will see the leaflet as a contribution to good patient care and will want to stock it in their practices for patients.

"As this is the first time we have done anything like this, we have decided to introduce the leaflet as a pilot to begin with. We will be writing to a sample of dentists directly to offer them bulk copies for their practices. The response we get should help us gauge whether there is a wide demand for this type of patient leaflet."

The leaflet has been produced primarily for dental practices and comes with a handy dispenser - ideal for the practice waiting room. Dental professionals who would like multiple copies of the leaflet, free of charge, for their workplace can call the GDC now on 020 7887 3824 or email communications@gdc-uk.org.

The leaflet has been awarded the Plain English Campaign’s Crystal Mark for its clarity. It will also soon be available in Urdu, Hindi and Welsh.

For media enquiries, please contact Katherine Vale on 020 7887 3861.

1. 'Licensed to Practise – what you can expect from your dental professional' can be downloaded from the publications section of the GDC website at www.gdc-uk.org, where you will find a full a list of GDC publications. Or for a hard copy, call 020 7887 3824 or email communications@gdc-uk.org

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