Any corporate body can now carry out the business of dentistry provided that it can satisfy the requirements in relation to directors of bodies corporate set out in section 43 of the Dentists Act. The requirements are:
1. A majority of the directors of a DBC must be registered dentists or registered Dental Care Professionals (DCPs), or a combination of dentists and DCPs;
and
2. A person whose name is currently erased or suspended from one of the specified statutory registers will be committing an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale set in UK law if he/she is the director of a DBC. The specified statutory registers are the registers are kept by: The General Chiropractic Council; The General Dental Council; The General Medical Council; The General Optical Council; The Health Professions Council; The Nursing and Midwifery Council; The General Osteopathic Council; The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain; The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.
The GDC is not a licensing body and a corporate body does not require our approval to set itself up as a DBC. However, in mid 2008 we will be establishing a list of all corporate bodies carrying on the business of dentistry under the provisions of the amended Dentists Act and are currently in the process of setting up this list.
Please note that we cannot provide advice on the interpretation and application of the Dentists Act in relation to DBCs. We would recommend that you contact your solicitor or other appropriate professional adviser if you have any further questions.
Please refer to the frequently asked questions for more information on how changes in the law will affect dental bodies corporate.
Please also refer the Council's ethical guidance for registrants called 'Standards for Dental Professionals' and the supporting guidance, in particular 'Principles of management responsibility'.
For further assistance on this issue please call the Customer Advice and Information Team on 020 7887 3800 or email GDCRegistration@gdc-uk.org