The annual renewal period for dental care professionals (DCPs) is now open – with the dental regulator introducing some simplified steps for CPD cycles.
To complete their annual renewal, DCPs must complete three essential steps by the below deadlines:
- Pay the annual retention fee (ARF) of £96 by 31 July. This can be paid online via eGDC or by direct debit
- Make an indemnity declaration by 31 July. This should confirm you have the appropriate indemnity or insurance cover in place by the time you start practising
- Submit a CPD statement by 28 August. The CPD year runs from 1 August to 31 July.
DCPs in the final year of their five-year CPD cycle who need additional time can apply for a grace period via their eGDC account.
For DCPs who registered within the last 12 months, they begin their first CPD cycle on 1 August 2025.
Complete your CPD cycle now!
One of the easiest ways to fulfil the upcoming requirement is Dentistry CPD. Utilising articles, videos and courses, Dentistry CPD delivers a variety of content to ensure all members of the dental team stay compliant.
Costing only £29.99, Dentistry CPD membership allows instant access to more than 650 hours of CPD courses.
Other options include:
- Pay as you go CPD courses
- Dentistry CPD Pro
- Discount for practice subscriptions.
To sign up, visit cpd.dentistry.co.uk.
What changes have been made to simplify CPD cycle steps?
Following some changes introduced in March 2025, the General Dental Council (GDC) says it has simplified several aspects of the CPD scheme to reduce the administrative burden on 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.
This marks a decrease from 2023 figures but the regulator emphasises that meeting CPD requirements remains essential for maintaining registration.
‘Crucial’ data
The GDC is also inviting DCPs to complete its voluntary working patterns survey as part of their renewal process on eGDC. 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.’
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