Over 99 Per Cent Of Dentists Keep Up To Date, UK

Over 99 per cent of dentists in the first completed cycle have met the GDC's continuing professional development (CPD) requirements. By law, dentists must complete 250 hours of CPD every five years, 75 of which must be verifiable.



GDC Chief Executive and Registrar Duncan Rudkin said



"We are pleased that the overwhelming majority of dentists in the 2002-2006 cycle have complied with the CPD requirements without any difficulty. Such a strong response sends a clear message to the public that dentists are committed to keeping their knowledge and skills up to date and to maintaining high standards of care."



All dentists in the 2002-2006 cycle who did not declare enough hours were offered an additional six months to make up the shortfall. 234 dentists have been given further time to complete the shortfall in their hours. These dentists have until 8 November 2007 to provide evidence demonstrating that they have completed the required hours.



In addition, 89 dentists, who did not confirm completion of the required number of hours and did not apply for extra time, are now facing removal from the Dentists Register. We have notified these dentists in writing and they have until 10 July 2007 to appeal against their removal. We will inform Primary Care Trusts, the Chief Dental Officers and dental defence organisations of the names of the dentists whom we remove from the Register.



In the next few weeks we will be undertaking an audit of dentists' CPD. We will contact a number of dentists who have declared the required number of hours for their first cycle, and ask them to provide proof of their CPD.



GDC Chief Executive and Registrar Duncan Rudkin said



"I encourage all dentists to make sure that their CPD records are in order. Those dentists selected to take part in the audit will need to send us details of the CPD they have declared, including certificates of verifiable activities."




2002-2006 CPD cycle statistics


-- Total number of dentists in 2002-2006 cycle - 10,565


-- Number of dentists who have met the GDC requirements - 10,242


-- Number of dentists who have been given further time to complete the shortfall in their hours - 234


-- Number of dentists who have been notified that they will be removed from the Register - 89




1. There were 10,565 dentists in the first CPD cycle, which began on 1 January 2002 and ended on 31 December 2006.



2. Those dentists who had not complied with the CPD requirements were given the opportunity to apply for a six month grace period in order to complete the shortfall in their hours. 200 dentists applied for the grace period. In addition, 34 dentists were granted extra time as they complied with one of the CPD requirements (they had completed 75 hours verifiable CPD or 250 hours in total).



3. The GDC's compulsory CPD requirements were introduced in January 2002 to encourage dentists to update and develop their skills and knowledge for the benefit of patients and the profession. Every year the GDC writes to all dentists to ask them to make a declaration of the number of hours they have spent on CPD.




4. The GDC will be introducing a compulsory CPD for dental care professionals (DCPs). They will be required to complete and record 150 hours of continuing professional development every five years, a third of which should be verifiable (50 hours). We expect to introduce this requirement from July 2008 when registration will become compulsory for dental nurses and technicians.



General Dental Council

37 Wimpole Street

London W1G 8DQ

UK