The Therapist Gamble to Save NHS Dentistry - GDC Stats Analysed
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- Published: Tuesday, 05 August 2025 09:43
- Written by Peter Ingle
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The GDC have just released the results of their survey that accompanied re registration of Dental Care Professionals (DCPs). Published in July 2025, it may not make comfortable reading for those at the DHSC and NHS England as they try to set out the future of NHS dentistry.
The UK has an unfortunate record when it comes to planning its dental workforce. The huge expansion of existing dental schools and new openings in the 1960’s was followed by dental school closures in the 1980’s. When the next shortage loomed, a switch to reliance on imported dentists to fill the gaps worked for a while, until that too began to unravel.
Dental therapists are increasingly seen as the answer. They can be home grown relatively quickly, or at least faster than the GDC can sort out sufficient ORE places for overseas dentists. They may sometimes be perceived, rightly or wrongly, as being more biddable than dentists, a most appealing quality to the DHSC.
Dental therapists were certainly the most cooperative group when it came to responding to the GDC questions, delivering a 71% response rate. This compares to 67% for hygienists, 58% for dental nurses, and 55% the last time that dentists were asked.
Of those therapists answering, 71% were self-employed, working as locums, or for an agency. Those seeking work had typically qualified more recently compared to those in employment. 57% were working primarily as dental therapists, while 39% were working as dental hygienists. Furthermore, half of those in clinical roles were working in the private sector. Work settings varied by age, with 94% of those aged up to 30 working in general dental practice, a figure that decreased for older therapists.
At present the total number of therapists on the register is relatively low at just over 7,300, but this last year saw a 23.5% increase. Of all registrant groups, therapists showed the largest percentage increase by a wide margin, for comparison dentist numbers rose by under 2.5%
A dental therapy degree has become the gateway course in establishing a new dental school. The University of Suffolk schemes’ first dental therapy graduates are due to qualify in the next twelve months and there are ambitions to build on this to train dentists. Construction is already under way in Norwich for another dental school. Lincoln and Bangor are just two more of the locations pushing for their own dental school. These are all likely to start by training more therapists.
The direction of travel for NHS reform is towards a service using many more dental therapists who will need to practice at the top of their scope if the government’s plans are to be delivered.
With nearly four in ten of the current modest therapist workforce working as hygienists, and half of those in clinical roles working in the private sector, there is a much to be done if the rapid growth in therapist numbers is to actually make much difference to NHS dentistry.
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