Tom addressed the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) at the launch of the associations ‘Patients First’ report in September.
The report outlines seven core recommendations to the government which the ADG believes would help improve access to dental care across the UK.
Tom outlined the GDC’s plans to address the barriers to dentistry that many people in the UK are facing in his speech.
Tom Whiting’s address
“Hello and thank you to the Association of Dental Groups for inviting me to speak today and Baroness Stewart for sponsoring the event. We welcome the ADG’s discussions about access for patients, oral health and creating a sustainable dental industry.
“I’m Tom Whiting, and I joined the General Dental Council – or GDC – three months ago as chief executive and registrar.
“I joined the GDC after just over five years at the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Prior to that I had a long spell, 14 years, in local government at the London Borough of Harrow. Before that I spent nearly nine years in and around regulation in the energy and utility sector in the UK and Europe.
“As one of the healthcare professional regulators in the UK, our priority is public protection. Our most important responsibility is to maintain the register – a list of everyone who is allowed to practise dentistry in the UK. We regulate seven dental professions across the four nations of the UK – all the professions that make up the dental team. In total that is around 122,000 registered professionals at present.
“We grant registration only to those dental professionals who meet our requirements on education and training, health and good character. We set standards for organisations who provide dental education and training in the UK. And we quality assure and inspect UK education providers.
“We set standards of conduct, performance and ethics for the dental team, and for their continuing professional development. We investigate serious concerns raised about dental professionals. Where appropriate, we take action through our fitness to practise process.
“Patients and the public should be confident that the dental treatment they receive is provided by a dental professional who is properly trained and qualified and who meets our standards.
“We have an essential role in making dentistry work in the UK.
“Our research highlights significant barriers to accessing dental services, especially within the NHS. The public report difficulties in booking regular appointments, particularly affecting younger people, those from ethnic minorities, and people living in urban areas. None of that is news to people in this room.
“There is evidence that the recovery of dental services after the pandemic has not only stalled but may have gone into reverse. We believe that this needs urgent attention.
“The Health and Social Care Select Committee inquiry into NHS dentistry last year made a number of recommendations that the GDC has acted on.
“To inform the debate about the dental workforce, we gathered data about the working patterns of dental professionals, which includes where and how they work and whether they deliver NHS or private care. We shared that data gathered from dentists in March 2024 and we will publish data from dental care professionals in the autumn. My thanks have already gone to the BDA and others for encouraging participation in gathering that information.
“There are around 45,000 dentists registered to practise in the UK. Around one third fully or predominantly deliver private care and around 42 per cent are fully or predominantly delivering NHS care. Forty-two per cent of dentists work less than 30 hour per week.
“The second recommendation we have acted on is to support the full use of the skills of the whole dental team, we welcomed the government’s proposals to allow dental hygienists and dental therapists across the UK to legally supply and administer specific prescription-only medicines, without the need for a dentist’s prescription.
“And thirdly, to speed up changes to the process of international registration for new applicants seeking to work in the NHS, we used legislation changes in 2023 to increase capacity in the route for overseas qualified dental professionals to register to practise in the UK.
“Only half of new dentists being registered last year trained in the UK. Most of the rest – 40 per cent of the total – registered on the basis of European qualifications. And the final 10 per cent passed our Overseas Registration Examination – the ORE – to show that they meet the standards we require.
“Around two thirds of those sitting the ORE pass.
“If we want more dentists and other dental professionals, there needs to be a multi-point plan for the capacity needed to train them.
“The supply of UK qualified dentists is fixed in the short term – but we are receiving inquiries from those who want to set up new dental schools, in which we play a quality assurance role.
“And there is an important question we all need to think about – what proportion of our dental workforce needs should we be aiming to meet from people trained in the UK.
“We have already tripled the number of places for Part 1 of the ORE and increased capacity of the Part 2 exam by a third. We very much want to increase the flexibility and capacity of the ORE and we are currently tendering for more capacity for next year.
“What is clear is that there is unprecedented demand for ORE places. So far this year, we've received almost 90 per cent of the number of applications that we received in the whole of last year alone. It shows no signs of slowing down.
“However, there is no certainty that increasing international registration of dentists will provide a solution to the challenge of delivering care, particularly NHS care, that meets patients’ needs. Once a dentist is registered with the GDC, where and how they work and whether they provide NHS or private treatment is a matter for them.
“We know that there is active consideration of a scheme to provisionally register overseas qualified dentists – prior to them being fully registered. We also know putting such a scheme in place will take time and will need all those in the sector to work together.
“Furthermore, for the longer term, there’s a real need to modernise the legislation we work under – so that we can protect patients and support dental professionals effectively.
“I thank the ADG for the opportunity to speak today, and to you for attending – we work closely with the sector on the challenges facing dental services and care. If you would like to know more about us, do get in touch or speak to me, Stefan or Joanne here today.”