More regulation

The issue of revalidation has been brewing for some time in the minds of those that feel that dentists need to be monitored even more than they are already.

We have recently had to implement HTM 01-05 to monitor our use of cross-infection control processes and the Care Quality Commission guidelines to monitor the suitability our practice premises. In addition to these new requirements, the General Dental Council is actively considering revalidation as a means of ensuring that dentists are competent at doing (at the point of graduating from dental school) what they were trained for, and meet the minimum standards on an ongoing basis. Revalidation is seen as a method of ensuring that dentists are keeping to standards of current best practice by overcoming the failures of continuing professional development.

The GDC states: 'Patients need to have confidence that the professionals providing their dental care have not only shown that they meet our standards when they join our registers, but can show that they continue to meet the standards expected of them over the course of their working lives.'