GDC launches consultation to modernise regulation

Titled ‘Trusted and Effective: A Strategy for Dental Regulation’, it proposes a new vision of ‘good oral health for all’. The strategy outlines how the GDC will modernise its approach to regulation over the next three years, with outcomes planned through to 2030.

The strategy addresses the significant increase in internationally-qualified dental professionals joining the UK workforce – with only 53 per cent of newly registered dentists in 2024 being UK-trained – by developing a more accessible framework for international registration.

The strategy also focuses on the current climate of fear within dentistry, with research showing dental professionals' perceptions of the GDC decline sharply after qualification. The strategy commits to reducing the negative unintended impacts of fitness to practise (FtP) processes on mental health and wellbeing, while maintaining robust public protection.