The General Dental Council (GDC) has opened its annual renewal period for dental care professionals (DCPs).

This essential process ensures that DCPs remain on the UK register and continue to provide essential dental care to patients.

To complete their annual renewal, DCPs must complete three essential steps by the respective deadlines:

  • Pay the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) of £96 by July 31, 2025. This can be paid online via eGDC or by direct debit
  • Make an indemnity declaration by July 31, 2025. This should confirm DCPs have the appropriate indemnity or insurance cover in place by the time they start practising
  • Submit a CPD statement by August 28, 2025. The CPD year runs from August 1 to July 31

Dental care practitioners in the final year of their five-year CPD cycle who need additional time can apply for a grace period via their eGDC account.

Dental care practitioners who registered within the last 12 months will begin their first CPD cycle on August 1, 2025.

Following some changes introduced in March 2025, the GDC has simplified several aspects of the CPD scheme to reduce the administrative burden for DCPs. This includes:

  • Simplified documentation requirements, with GDC registration numbers no longer mandatory on CPD certificates
  • Electronic confirmations now accepted for CPD mapping documents
  • More flexible approaches to quality assurance verification, allowing digital confirmations alongside traditional signatures
  • Clearer guidance on grace periods and restoration processes

Around 480 DCPs failed to meet the minimum 10-hour CPD requirement over two years in September 2024. Whilst this represents a decrease from 2023 figures, the GDC has emphasised that meeting CPD requirements remains essential for maintaining registration.

The GDC has invited DCPs to complete its voluntary working patterns survey as part of the renewal process. The five-minute survey gathers data on where DCPs work, the type of care they provide, and their weekly working hours.

Anthony McNally, head of customer services at the GDC, said, "We've listened to feedback from the dental professions and made significant improvements to our CPD processes, whilst maintaining professional standards. We encourage all DCPs to complete the working patterns survey, which provides crucial data to help the sector understand workforce challenges and plan for the future.

“The annual renewal process ensures that DCPs remain on the UK register and continue to provide essential dental care to patients.”

For more information call 020 7167 6000 or email information@gdc-uk.org

Author: