Career pathways and career aspiration of dental nurses

All dentists in the UK work with a range of dental care professionals as a part of a team to ensure the oral health care of their patients. Dental nurse professionals are a vital part of that team, providing a comprehensive range of duties from assisting the dentist in clinical procedures, decontamination, oral health promotion to practice management. Prior to 2008, dental nurses were not legally required to acquire a formal qualification or be registered. With mandatory registration with the General Dental Council (GDC) from 2008, the professionalism and importance of dental nursing has been recognised. Registration has raised the standards expected which is in proportion with the modern expectations of todays dental nursing professional (Pike, 1998; Marshall, 1999). Modern dental nursing will no longer be limited to chairside assistance. The GDC's Scope of Practice (GDC, 2013a) outlines the primary role of the dental nurse to include the undertaking of clinical tasks in relation to the scope of work of the dentist, and to provide pre- and post-operative care for the patient undergoing treatment. Technological advancements in the clinical practice of dentistry require that the dental nurse will be a skilled professional with a broad range of knowledge of current techniques, materials and, most importantly, in patient care.