Standards for the dental team and their implications

The General Dental Council's Standards for the Dental Team came into effect on 30 September (GDC, 2013a). This document specifies the standards of conduct, performance and ethics that govern dental professionals and sets out the principles, standards and guidance that apply to practitioners. It also sets out what patients should expect from dental professionals.

The standards apply to the whole dental team, and are the same for all registrants including dental nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, orthodontic therapists, dental technicians and clinical dental technicians. Registrants who do not meet these standards may be removed from the GDC register and not be able to work as dental professionals. The GDC will refer to the standards and the guidance to judge a practitioner's fitness to practise if a complaint brings this into question.