The organisation, which represents the interests of dental hygienists and those dually qualified in dental hygiene and therapy, believes the move will offer their members and other dental care professionals (DCPs) greater protection to their personal privacy.
Speaking on the decision, Micaela ONeill, president of the BSDHT, said: “It’s important to understand that there is a big difference between giving up the privacy associated with your home life and promoting your work place.
“The change will mean the GDC will be able to offer greater personal privacy to DCPs who are uncomfortable with private information being freely accessible in the public domain.
“A patient does not need to know the home address of a DCP, this is something which invades their privacy and, in severe circumstances, could endanger their personal safety.
“Patients will still be able to check the status of any DCP professional on the register by using their existing GDC registration number, this needs to be visible to patients in the practice.
“DCPs who wish to promote their workplace and services are still able to do so safely through other services, such as the BSDHT ‘Find a BSDHT dental hygienist or therapist’ feature on their website which allows for members of the public to search for BSDHT members in their local area.”
The GDC will now hold a consultation to decide on what information to make available to patients in the future; they will decide either to publish the name and registration number or the name, the registration number and town of where the dental professional lives.