Annual renewal period opens for dental care professionals

We have opened our annual renewal period for dental care professionals (DCPs), reminding registrants to complete the process on time to maintain their registration and continue practising in the UK. 

To complete annual renewal, DCPs must fulfil three requirements by the stated deadlines: pay their Annual Retention Fee (ARF) of £108 by 31 July 2026, declare that they have, or will have, appropriate indemnity or insurance cover in place by the time they start practising, and no later than 31 July 2026, and submit a CPD statement by 28 August 2026. 

Registrants should complete their renewal on MyGDC, our online portal that replaced eGDC when it launched in March 2026.  

Anthony McNally, Head of Customer Services at the GDC, said: "This year, dental care professionals are completing their annual renewal via MyGDC for the first time, and we want that experience to be as straightforward as possible. If you have not yet logged in, please do so and reset your password before you renew. It only takes a few minutes. 

“We also want to encourage as many dental care professionals as possible to complete the working patterns survey alongside their renewal. The data is becoming increasingly valuable to the dental sector, and every additional response helps build a clearer picture of the workforce." 

DCPs who do not meet the 31 July deadline for payment and the indemnity declaration, or the 28 August deadline for their CPD statement, risk being removed from the register and will no longer be able to legally practise in the UK. 

CPD requirements 

All dental care professionals must complete a minimum of 10 hours of CPD every two years and submit an annual CPD statement as part of their renewal, including those who have completed zero hours in the current year. 

DCPs in the final year of their five-year CPD cycle who do not expect to meet the minimum number of hours required, which varies by professional title, can apply for a grace period before 31 July 2026. If approved, this provides an additional eight weeks to complete the required hours. Applications can be made through the CPD section of MyGDC. 

DCPs who registered within the last 12 months will begin their first CPD cycle on 1 August 2026. 

Key dates 

• 31 July 2026: Deadline to pay the ARF and declare indemnity, and the deadline to apply for a CPD grace period.  

• 28 August 2026: Deadline to submit a CPD statement. 

Working patterns survey 

For the third consecutive year, DCPs will be asked to complete a short voluntary survey on their working patterns as part of the renewal process. The survey, which takes approximately five minutes, asks DCPs questions about where they work, the type of care they deliver, and how many hours they work each week. It is available on MyGDC alongside the renewal. 

Since the survey was first introduced in June 2024, 56,184 dental care professionals, representing 70% of the DCP register, have responded, with the results informing future planning for dental services across the UK.