eGDCNumber of UK registered dental care professionals rises again
The number of dental care professionals (DCPs) on the UK Register has expanded to its largest size in recent years, following the annual renewal period.
With 80,657 DCPs now registered across the UK, we have witnessed a substantial increase of 4,764 professionals (6.26%) compared to the equivalent figure for 2024.
This year, 3,312 DCPs did not renew their registration, which is 4.1% of those who had renewed their registration by 31 July. This compares to an average of 5.5% over the previous four years.
| DCP Annual Renewal fees | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARF payments received (by 31 July) | 69,556 | 69,676 | 71,769 | 75,743 | 80,507 |
| Other registrations1 | 69 | 106 | 35 | 162 | 150 |
| Register count following removals2 | 69,625 | 69,782 | 71,804 | 75,905 | 80,657 |
| Removals3 | 4,618 | 4,377 | 3,541 | 3,236 | 3,312 |
| Removals as % of ARF payments received | 6.6% | 6.3% | 4.9% | 4.3% | 4.1% |
1 The register numbers change daily. The register count includes ARF payments, restorations, Fitness to Practise retentions and new additions to the register (between 1 and 4 August for 2025).
2 Register count in week following the renewal period (for 2025 this was 4 August).
3 Reasons for removal include voluntary removal, non-payment, retirement, and notifications of death.
The total numbers of the DCP professions on the register as of 11 August were:
| Professional title | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical dental technician | 404 | 423 | 439 |
| Dental hygienist | 9,177 | 10,055 | 11,065 |
| Dental nurse | 59,238 | 62,364 | 65,797 |
| Dental technician | 5,023 | 4,935 | 4,895 |
| Dental therapist | 5,558 | 6,787 | 8,459 |
| Orthodontic therapist | 957 | 1,093 | 1,257 |
We provide a breakdown of removals by professional title for the last five years. The statistics show that the total number of professional titles removed was slightly higher than last year at 3,455, compared to 3,381 in 2024.
| Number of DCPS removed from the Register | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical dental technician | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Dental hygienist | 262 | 244 | 172 | 191 | 214 |
| Dental nurse | 4,031 | 3,941 | 3,189 | 2,875 | 2,894 |
| Dental technician | 317 | 261 | 210 | 185 | 191 |
| Dental therapist | 97 | 92 | 78 | 112 | 135 |
| Orthodontic therapist | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
While the register is constantly changing, what we invariably see (for both the dentist and DCP registers) is that over the course of the year, the number of registered professionals increases due to new registrations, and then reduces following the renewal period as professionals leave the register for a range of reasons.
We have made it easier for dental professionals to restore their name to the registers so that they can continue to practise in the UK if they have been off the register for less than 12 months and have always complied with CPD. All they need to do is sign a declaration that their CPD is up to date, rather than send us a copy of their full CPD record.
For further information on the data we hold for DCPs, the inferential analysis reports for DCPs were released in July. This is the first set of DCP data that combines working patterns, registration information and aggregated fitness to practise (FtP) data.
We also publish monthly registration reports and an annual registration statistical report.