The Winds of Change: GDC Register Stats
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- Published: Friday, 02 May 2025 09:13
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Predicting what British dentistry, and in particular any NHS service will look like even five years from now, is challenging. Those trying to envisage their future might take a good look at the latest set of figures published by the GDC. There are some clear trends and they do not look promising for those hoping to continue ‘business as usual.‘
The Council’s annual registration statistical report is based on data collected in December 2024 and shows an increase in the total number of registered dental professionals. There were 125,736 registered dental professionals comprising 46,362 dentists and 79,374 dental care professionals.
Perhaps the most significant change was a 23.5% increase in dental therapists, with 1,402 new registrations. There was also a 9.6% increase in dental hygienist numbers, with 921 new registrations. Lagging well behind, the number of dental nurses increased by 3,349 (5.4%).
In their resumé of the figures the GDC do not comment on the change in numbers of dentists, however the full document shows an increase of 1058 to 46362 representing an increase of 2.3%
The GDC did highlight one other group of registrants. The number of dental technicians declined again, for the fifth year in succession with only 5,025 now registered. There are nearly 10% less dental technicians registered than in 2020.
There are a variety of possible explanations for the steady decline in UK dental technician numbers. A drop in demand with a move to more bonding and less lab made restorations, and the transformation of NHS care into an emergency service will mean less lab work. There is also the move to offshore production whether it is the market leading aligners produced in Mexico or practices trying to deliver viable NHS care, searching for low cost work that is often made outside the UK.
Other figures reveal the UK’s inability to meet its needs in terms of workforce. Just 53% of dentists who joined the register in 2024 were UK-qualified, 30% were EEA or rest of the world-qualified, and 16% came through the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) route.
Other demographic information shows that the register is predominantly female with 78% of all dental professionals identifying as female. There are marked differences depending on a registrant’s role, with 53% of dentists but 93% of DCPs, being female.
Similarly, 47% of responding dentists were from White ethnic groups, compared to 75% of DCPs. 30% of dentists are of Asian or Asian British ethnic origin, which is three times higher than represented within the total UK population.
Some insight into the GDC’s chief concerns may be seen in the full document of which 11 pages cover registration statistics, and 13 pages deal with issues of equality and diversity within the Register profile. A further revealing set of statistics in this section covers the age of registered dentists, where there are some noticeable trends. The proportion of dentists under 30 has decreased steadily since 2020 which could be a reflection of the increased dependence upon overseas graduates. There has also been a modest but steady rise in the numbers of dentists working in their 60’s.
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