The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is preparing to contact dental providers whose records indicate they may not have a registered manager in place despite being legally required to have one.
In its update for primary care professionals, the regulator said it is reviewing its registration records as part of its legal requirement to maintain a complete and accurate register.
Dental providers are required to have a registered manager if they operate as a partnership, organisation or company, including a limited company.
An individual provider or sole trader must also have one if they are not personally responsible for the day-to-day management of regulated activities.
The CQC said: 'We are legally required to maintain a complete and accurate register. As part of this, we are reviewing our registration records to identify dental providers who are required to have a registered manager but do not currently appear to have one registered with us.
'Over the coming months, we will contact providers whose registration records indicate that no registered manager is in place. We will take a proportionate and reasonable approach, recognising that there may be legitimate reasons why a registered manager is not currently registered.'
Providers contacted by the regulator will be asked to confirm whether they have already submitted a registered manager application and, if so, provide its reference number.
Those that have not yet applied will be asked when they expect to appoint a registered manager and submit an application.
The CQC said the review does not represent a new area of regulatory focus but is intended to ensure its records are accurate and legal requirements are being met.
It encouraged dental providers that believe they may not currently be compliant to review their arrangements and take any necessary action.
Information on the registered manager role, new manager applications and adding a location as an existing registered manager is available on the CQC website.
Dr Keith Hayes, a dentist and director of RightPath4, which helps practices with preparing for CQC inspections, said: 'While the CQC seem to be fair minded and proportionate, they have a memorandum of understanding with another regulator who adopts a different approach to enforcement of regulation.'