On the morning after removals, there were 44,209 dentists on the Register. This is a 2.5 per cent increase compared to last year with 1,079 more dentists on the register.
This year, 1,003 dentists did not renew their registration, which is 2.3 per cent of those on the Register on December 31, 2023. This compares to an average of 2.6 per cent over the previous four years.
|
Dentist ARF |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
ARF payments received (by December 31) |
41,340 |
41,615 |
42,066 |
42,982 |
44,200 |
|
Other registrations1 |
154 |
248 |
149 |
148 |
172 |
|
Register count following removals2 |
41,494 |
41,863 |
42,215 |
43,130 |
44,209 |
|
Removals3 |
975 |
1,191 |
1,079 |
999 |
1,003 |
|
Removals as a percentage of ARF payments received |
2.4 per cent |
2.9 per cent |
2.6 per cent |
2.3 per cent |
2.3 per cent |
1The Register is constantly changing. This figure includes ARF payments, restorations, fitness to practise retentions and new additions to the Register (between January 1 and 5, 2024).
2Register count in week following the renewal period.
3Reasons for removal include voluntary removal, non-payment, retirement, and notifications of death.
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 concern, including access to NHS dental services and 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).
For the first time, as part of the dentists’ renewal process in 2023, the GDC gathered data about the work dentists do, including the number of hours they are working, whether they are working in the NHS or privately, and in clinical or non-clinical roles. The regulator says it will publish these figures once analysis is complete.
The GDC recognises that the register is constantly changing but says that the data shows (for both the dentist and dental care professional registers) that over 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.