The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) has welcomed the announcement by the General Dental Council to triple the number of places available for candidates at sittings of Part 1 of the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) for dentists from 200 to 600.
Passing the ORE is a requirement for overseas dentists from countries outside the EEA to register and practice in the United Kingdom. With a backlog of over 1500 applicants and many more waiting for their applications to be processed it has been a significant “bottleneck” in the recruitment of overseas dentists who could ease the current access crisis in NHS dentistry.
The ORE has been recognised by many, including the General Dental Council as “no longer fit for purpose”.
Neil Carmichael, chair of the ADG said, “Reform of the ORE to enable more clinicians to pass the examination in a timely manner has been one of the key policy recommendations of the ADG’s “Six to Fix” to increase the dental workforce and solve the current crisis in access to dentistry in the UK. We are pleased that the GDC recognises this and are now taking practical steps to bring this about”.
“Clearing the backlog of ORE applicants waiting to take the examination is a big step in the right direction – but more needs to be done, as too many applicants are still waiting for their applications to be processed.. We believe the GDC can also now move much faster in the “mutual recognition” of overseas diplomas from dental schools from other countries which would also add new recruitment pathways for overseas dentists.”