Number of registered UK dentists has increased

Data from the GDC demonstrates that the number of dentists on the UK Register (following the recent annual renewal period) has increased slightly when compared to the average over the previous four years.

On the morning after removals, there were 43,130 dentists on the register. This is a 2.2 per cent increase from the previous year, which is almost double the average growth over the previous four years (1.2 per cent). It is important to note, however, that single-year data does not establish trend, so conclusions about whether this is the beginning of a pattern should be avoided.

This year, 999 dentists did not renew their registration, which is 2.3 per cent of those on the register on December 31, 2022. This compares to an average of 2.8 per cent over the previous four years.

These figures provide a useful benchmark for the total number of dentists registered in the UK.

While the GDC recognises there are important issues of widespread concern across dentistry – not least in relation to significant ongoing recruitment challenges in some areas – it is important to note that this data does not provide insight into the number of professionals working in different patterns (e.g. full-time vs part-time), how many dentists are working in NHS services compared to private practice, local workforce conditions, or the numbers of professionals working in different roles (e.g. academic).

While the register is constantly changing, what we invariably see (for both the dentist and dental care professional registers) is that over the course of the year, the number of registered professionals increases due to new registrations, and then that number drops at the point of renewal as professionals leave the register for a range of reasons.

For more information, read the GDC’s monthly registration reports.