GDC publishes revised Standards for Education

We have today published our revised Standards for Education, the first comprehensive update since 2015, following a successful 12-week public consultation. 

The Standards for Education set out the requirements expected of all programmes that lead to registration and form the framework of our quality assurance processes for dental education across the UK.  

The new Standards will come into effect for the 2026/27 academic year, and we are providing support to education providers to implement them.  

We will offer guidance, engagement sessions and resources to ensure all providers can confidently adapt their processes and transition to the revised Standards by August 2026.   

The revised Standards are designed to be used alongside the Safe Practitioner Framework, published in 2023, which sets out the learning outcomes and behaviours. The updated Standards reflect the developments in dentistry, the GDC's strategic priorities, demographic changes, and the changes in the healthcare ecosystem over the past decade.  

After extensive stakeholder engagement, including consultation with education providers, professional bodies, students, new registrants, diversity groups and Chief Dental Officers, we have made key structural improvements while adding five important new areas: 

• Student and staff wellbeing – recognising the importance of mental health and pastoral support 

• Admissions – ensuring fair, inclusive and transparent admission processes 

• Monitoring of behaviours – strengthening professional development and standards 

• Technological advances – keeping pace with rapid developments in dental technology and education 

• Differential attainment – addressing inequalities and supporting diverse learners 

The consultation conducted from November 2024 to February 2025, received 42 responses with stakeholders broadly welcoming the proposed changes. Respondents praised the clearer structure and the addition of topics relevant to modern dental education. 

Manjula Das, Head of Education Quality Assurance at the GDC, said: "We're delighted with the positive response to our revised Standards for Education. These updates ensure our regulatory framework keeps pace with the evolving needs of dental education whilst maintaining our primary focus on protecting patients.  

“The new requirements around wellbeing, inclusive admissions, and differential attainment demonstrate our commitment to supporting students and trainees. We look forward to working closely with education providers over the coming year to ensure a smooth transition to these revised Standards." 

The revised Standards maintain the existing structure of four key areas – patient protection and safety, student development and support, quality assurance of programmes, and examination and assessment – whilst breaking down complex requirements into clearer components and clarifying which requirements are relevant to different stakeholders.