Cautious optimism
The next three years will determine whether the GDC can transition to being trusted, effective … and respected.
The General Dental Council’s (GDC) corporate strategy for 2026–2028, ‘Trusted and effective,’ is arguably its most significant statement in a generation, seeking to pivot the regulator’s role from being a source of anxiety to being a partner in public health and professional development.
For the dental profession, facing workforce shortages, high costs and systemic pressures within NHS dentistry, the reaction will be complex, a mix of entrenched scepticism, cautious optimism and a demand for tangible results.
The strategy’s success rests entirely on the GDC’s ability to turn its stated intentions regarding Fitness to Practise (FtP) reform and financial transparency into demonstrated, observable cultural change.
The most immediate and emotional reaction from dental professionals will likely be towards the GDC’s commitment to reduce the “negative unintended impacts” of the FtP process and tackle the widely reported existence, and now acknowledged by the GDC, “climate of fear.”
This is the core issue that has historically alienated registrants. The promise of streamlining investigations, making them timely and proportionate and prioritising non-adversarial methods, such as remediation, will be met with relief.
The dental profession has long argued that the drawn-out and punitive nature of FtP cases significantly harms mental health and drives experienced professionals out of practice.
However, this relief will be heavily tempered by deep-seated scepticism. The profession understands that the GDC is often constrained by outdated legislation, and changing the culture of an organisation requires far more than a revised mission statement.
Professionals will be watching closely for two things: a measurable reduction in the duration of cases, and tangible evidence that minor, isolated clinical errors are indeed being diverted towards educational remediation rather than formal disciplinary proceedings.
A second critical point of contention is the increase in the annual retention fee (ARF) for 2026. While the GDC justifies the increase by linking it to the investment needed for strategic modernisation, including digital-first services and efficiency savings, fee-payers, particularly through representative bodies such as the British Dental Association (BDA), will understandably react negatively.
Professionals, already facing mounting cost pressures, view the ARF as a compulsory tax, and any increase is a point of acute financial pressure.
The GDC has attempted to mitigate this backlash by capping future increases at the consumer price index (CPI) and committing to deliver 7% efficiency savings over five years.
The profession’s reaction will, therefore, be transactional; it has paid the price for reform, and now it will, justifiably, demand transparency and delivery. It will expect regular, detailed reporting that demonstrates where the investment is going and that is not simply funding an expanded bureaucratic structure.
The success of the digital-first registration service, planned for early 2026, will be an early and high-profile test of whether the GDC can deliver efficiency for the new cost.
The strategy’s focus on the dental workforce introduces both welcome relief and new anxieties. The commitment to streamline international registration and significantly increase the number of overseas professionals entering the register via the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) addresses the critical UK workforce crisis, particularly in NHS primary care.
Practitioners facing burnout and excessive patient demand will welcome any initiative that brings qualified colleagues into the system faster.
Conversely, this focus raises two related concerns. First, the maintenance of standards. Professionals will insist that while the pathway is made more accessible, it must not become easier in a way that compromises patient safety or clinical equivalence with UK-trained graduates.
Second, the GDC’s pledge to work collaboratively to influence wider issues, such as access to NHS dentistry, is ambitious.
While the profession is desperate for meaningful structural change, many will question the regulator’s authority and efficacy in influencing deep-seated governmental policy on health funding and provision,
a field traditionally outside the GDC’s direct remit.
The GDC’s ‘Trusted and Effective’ strategy is fundamentally a contract with the profession. It recognises the deep frustration and existential fear felt by registrants and offers meaningful reform, particularly around FtP proportionality and digital modernisation.
The profession’s reaction will probably be best described as one of cautious optimism; it is willing to believe in the promised culture change, but it will be diligent; scrutinising every ARF expenditure, every FtP outcome and every modernisation milestone.
The next three years will determine whether the GDC can successfully transition from a feared overseer to a truly trusted, effective and respected partner in the UK’s oral health landscape.
About the author
Contact the editor Will Peakin by email editor@sdmag.co.uk. Follow Scottish Dental on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn at: @ScottishDental
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