General Dental Council

www.gdc-uk.org
+44 (0) 845 222 4141
or +44 (0) 20 7887 3800

37 Wimpole Street
London W1G 8DQ
Tens of thousands of DCPs renew their GDC registration

7 August 2012

Tens of thousands of DCPs renew their GDC registration

58,346 dental care professionals (DCPs) have renewed their registration with the General Dental Council (GDC).

The annual deadline to pay their retention fee of £120 passed on 31 July 2012.

Being registered with the GDC is a legal requirement for DCPs in the UK. All dental nurses, orthodontic therapists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental technicians and clinical dental technicians must be registered.

Patients, members of the public and employers can check whether someone is registered by using the GDC’s online register at www.gdc-uk.org

Assistant Director of Registration and Operational Excellence, Gurvinder Soomal, said:

“The GDC works hard to ensure that all dental care professionals know about their ARF deadline and understand the consequences if they don’t renew their registration on time. But we are equally committed to making sure those who want to restore to our register are helped through this process. We are delighted with how this year’s renewals process has been handled and have seen a drop in the number of people being removed from the register.” (4,012 in 2012 compared to 4,339 in 2011)

4,012 DCPs have now been removed from the register. Those who didn’t pay on time, but who wish to return to the register must:

• complete a form to apply for restoration (this will be sent through the post or can be downloaded at www.gdc-uk.org);

• have a medical examination and provide a character reference;

• pay a fee of £144;

• give evidence that they have completed the required amount of continuing professional development (CPD);

• if they were practising overseas while off the Register, they must provide a letter of good standing from the relevant authority of the country/state in which they last worked;

• if they were working in the UK while their name was erased from the Register, they and their employer will need to explain the circumstances in a letter.  If this has occurred they are advised to contact their solicitor or defence organisation before submitting their application.

Further information can be found at www.gdc-uk.org or by calling 0845 222 4141.

Ends

For media enquiries, please contact Moira Alderson on 020 7344 3726 or email malderson@gdc-uk.org

Notes to editors:

• We have taken a total of 58,346 DCP ARF payments this year, with a total of 4,012 removals.
• Of the DCPs removed 760 requested to be taken off. 3,252 have been removed for non-payment.
 
2012 DCPs Removed by Type:
SINGLE TITLES
 
Dental Nurse
3,423
Dental Hygienist
163
Dental Therapist
48
Clinical Dental Technician
4
Dental Technician
416
Orthodontic Therapist
6
*The numbers in this table do not match the total removals as some registrants may have dual registration.