Annual Retention Survey Results

The Society of British Dental Nurses (SBDN) undertakes an annual survey looking at retention rates for the dental nurse profession. The profession has been through a challenging time since the onset of the pandemic and the data may well have portrayed this. This year brings the added challenges of the rise in the cost of living, energy bills, and travel costs which may also have influenced the results. The results for 2023 have certainly seen a shift.

The General Dental Council (GDC)¹ provides a month-by-month account of UK registered dental nurses. Every year, as the new registration period begins, the numbers of dental nurses leaving the register, those registering for the first time, and those restoring to the register are recorded. Whilst this is a point in time whereby the figures can be measured, these figures do and can fluctuate throughout the year. We also know that these figures may not be a true reflection of practicing dental nurses, what their role is, or if they are still working in the dental field. This has been the case for dental nurses since 2008, when mandatory registration² was introduced.