East of England
Workforce Support
This page provide links and general supportive information for those who are new to dentistry in the UK or who are planning to take a break from, or return to, dentistry
Non UK Dentists
To find information for EU and Overseas dentists regarding immigration and registration
The General Dental Council provides information about application registration and whether you will need to pass the overseas registration exam before you register.
To work in primary care within the NHS you must apply for inclusion on the NHS National Performers list.
Taking a Break
If you are planning to take a break from Dentistry it will still be important for you to keep up to date with all the changes that will take place while you are away from practice. This will be relevant for whichever sector of dentistry you work in be it primary or secondary care, NHS or private. Clinical techniques and materials, best practice, standards, and many regulations change rapidly; so it is vital that you keep yourself well informed and up to date.
Some of the things you should consider while you are on your break are:
- Keeping up your GDC registration
- Retaining your membership of your indemnity organisation
- Maintaining your membership of the British Dental Association (or joining if you are not already a member)
- Participating in CPD to a level well above that required by the GDC as a minimum to retain your registration
- Attending Dental courses (EoE courses and elsewhere); this not only provides you with CPD hours but also enables you to meet, mix and exchange ideas with other dentists.
The GDC have requirements in terms of the amount of time spent on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that you must complete annually in order to be able to maintain your registration with them. These requirements should be considered as the minimum that you should do.
Returning to Practice
If you are returning to practice after a period away from clinical work, for whatever reason, you may well find it somewhat daunting to return to dentistry or just want some information about the possibilities of doing so. You are not alone in feeling like this and yet the experience of some people is that if the break is not too long their dental skills can return quite quickly as soon as they are working in a supportive clinical environment. However, it is vital that patient safety is not compromised and that you are confident that you are able to operate in a safe, consistent manner according to best practice. Hopefully you will have planned your break in advance and will know what you need to do when you return.
When you are ready to return to practice you will need to decide how and where you wish to work. This could be full or part-time, in primary or secondary care, and could be in a predominantly NHS or private practice. Obviously you will first have to ensure that your full registration with the GDC is current (which will entail, among other things, having kept up your CPD hours) and that your indemnity is organised.
East of England run Dental Workforce Development courses, which are booked on-line via Accent.
See Dental Courses and DWD.Some of the London teaching hospitals can offer hands-on refresher or specialised courses. The LonDEC centre provides courses;
If you decide that you wish to return to primary care NHS dentistry you will first have to find a practice that can offer you a position, and then apply to join, or re-join, the NHS National Performers List..
Restoring Efficiency of Registrants
For those registrants who have had a referral from GDC fitness to practice we offer links to these resources. Please note the following list is not intended to be exhaustive.
Sites offering free information and downloads
Dental indemnity organisations
Some indemnifiers offer free downloads and verifiable CPD to their members; there are other indemnity organisations available as well.
Subscription Websites