Number of registered UK dentists remains stable in 2022

Iveta Ramonaite, Dental Tribune International

Mon. 7 February 2022

save

LONDON, UK: The General Dental Council (GDC) has recently announced that the number of dentists on the UK register remained stable after the annual renewal period and that the new figure is similar to that obtained in previous years. After removals, there were reportedly over 42,000 dentists on the register, a slight increase compared with last year.

According to a press release, 1,079 UK dentists did not renew their registration in 2022. This accounts for 2.56% of the total number of dentists who were registered at the end of December 2021. Over the previous four years, the average number of dentists who chose not to renew their registration was 2.96%.

Welcoming the data, GDC Chief Operating Officer Gurvinder Soomal commented: “Following such a challenging period in dentistry which continues for many, it is encouraging to see the number of registered dentists in the UK remain stable.”

The data identifies the total number of dentists registered in the UK. However, the GDC noted that it does not provide information on dentists’ working patterns or academic roles or reveal how many dentists are working in the National Health Service (NHS) compared with private practice.

The organisation also commented that, although the register is constantly changing, the number of registered professionals usually increases over the course of a year because of new registrations and then drops during the renewal period.

NHS dentistry and patient backlog

The NHS has been under constant pressure during the pandemic. According to data provided by the Department of Health and Social Care, around 1,000 dentists working in 2,500 roles across England and Wales ended their NHS contracts last year. Some chose to switch to private practice or to take early retirement. This year, dentists working in the NHS are required to deliver 20% more of their contract. Additionally, to boost vaccine uptake in England, dentists and their teams working in the private sector or in the NHS are legally required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by 1 April 2022. All of these conditions may result in thousands of dental professionals leaving or even closing their practices.

To help rebuild NHS dental services, address the backlog of patients and generate additional dental appointments, NHS England has recently announced that it will be providing £50,000 (~€60,000) in funding for dentists. The funding will be available until the end of March and will be paid on a sessional basis.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Shawn Charlwood, chair of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, said in a press release: “Until today not a penny of the government’s multi-billion-pound catch-up programme had reached dentistry. This is progress but must be just the start if we are to rebuild a service millions depend on.”

More information about the registration reports can be found here.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Number of female dentists increases

LEEDS – According to new statistics published by UK health authorities, there has been a constant increase in the number of dentists in the country ...

UK dentists expect drop in earnings, patient numbers in 2021

LONDON, UK: A new report commissioned by the General Dental Council (GDC) has found that UK dental professionals are pessimistic about being able to meet ...

New figures show dwindling numbers of dentists in Ireland

DUBLIN, Ireland: Although the number of dentistry graduates in Ireland grew between 2008 and 2013, the country shows the greatest decrease in practising ...

Number of dental patients continues to increase

LEEDS – Last week, the National Health Service (NHS) released the latest statistics regarding the number of patients seen by NHS dentists in England ...

Pandemic leads UK dentists to seek advice in record numbers

GLASGOW, UK: Changing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have regularly affected the scope of work that dental professionals have been allowed to ...

Survey shows number of UK adults seeking orthodontic treatment remains high

LONDON, UK: Though orthodontic treatment was once thought to be something only for teenagers, its generally non-invasive nature has led to it becoming ...

Alarming increase in oral cancer rates in the UK

RUGBY, UK: In marking World Cancer Day, the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) has highlighted the constantly increasing rates of oral cancer in the ...

Report shines a light on mouth cancer in the UK

LONDON, UK: A report released by the Oral Health Foundation has highlighted, among other things, that more than 8,300 people in the UK are diagnosed with ...

Government increases NHS charges amid criticism from dentists

LONDON, UK: From April on, patients visiting an NHS dentist will have to pay more for their treatment. According to the government, charges for all types of...

UK government's increase in dental charges met with criticism

LONDON, UK: The British Dental Association (BDA) and Oral Health Foundation have both come out strongly against the UK government’s recent decision to ...

Education

Live webinar
Mon. 29 September 2025
2:00 pm UTC (London)