Dental nurses: fit for practise?

In August 2008 it became a legal requirement for all dental nurses to be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). It can be argued that overnight the responsibility placed upon a dental nurse changed dramatically and they became subject to the same regulatory process that their dental colleagues (dentists, hygienists and therapists) had been for many years. Being registered with the GDC also requires that the registrant completes continuing professional development (CPD), is indemnified/insured and is subject to the Fitness to Practise (FtP) rules.

The GDC has produced a series of documents that outline what is expected from a registered dental professional. Standards for Dental Professionals, first published in 2005 (GDC, 2005a), replaced the previous but more descriptive advice contained in Maintaining Standards (GDC, 2000); to accompany this document, the GDC went on to produce a series of documents, including Scope of Practice (GDC, 2009), and it these documents that define how we should act not only in our professional lives but also, to a limited extent, our personal lives.