Two or three surgeries have stood empty at David Chong Kwan’s Dunfermline practice for around five years. He says the loss of overseas dental nurse recruitment has cut off a workforce pipeline before domestic training can replace it.
David has trained more than 100 dental nurses and supported newly qualified dentists for two decades. Even so, he has been unable to recruit enough clinicians to fill his practice.
‘I’ve sat for about four or five years with two or three empty chairs out of a practice with 10 chairs, and that’s just a much weaker facility,’ he said.
‘We’re just not firing on all cylinders.’
David qualified in 1983 and has owned the practice since 1986. He has trained newly qualified dentists for two decades, tutored at the dental hospital and helped write national guidance on gum disease. His clinical work focuses on long-term prevention and durable dentistry.
Even with his connections to newly qualified dentists, recruitment has remained difficult for him and his peers.
‘I’ve spoken to so many practice owners who just have empty chairs,’ he said.
Dental nurse visa grants fall by 95%
His experience puts a practice owner’s voice behind Home Office figures showing that sponsored visa grants for dental nurses fell by 95% after changes to the Skilled Worker route.
The figures recorded six sponsored work entry-clearance grants for dental nurses between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026, down from 122 during the previous three quarters.
The fall followed immigration changes introduced on 22 July 2025. Dental nurses, dental hygienists and dental technicians generally became ineligible for new Skilled Worker sponsorship, although transitional arrangements may protect some people who were already on the route.
Dentistry’s extended guide to Skilled Worker visas and UK dentistry explains the current position for each dental role.
‘Closing the dental nurse visa route has been a disaster,’ David said.
‘I know a dental nurse who was working on a student visa who couldn’t get a dental nurse visa and had to go back to India, a month before her ORE exam.
‘I was interviewing and had accepted a dentist from Khartoum, Sudan who couldn’t get her visa, because they were cut mid-application. She is a genuine refugee from war who has skills we need, but I can’t recruit her.’
‘Really good nurses are thin on the ground’
David has trained dental nurses within his own practice but does not believe that domestic training has produced enough experienced people to meet demand.
‘I take trainee dental nurses all the time, and over 100 nurses qualified through our practice,’ he said. ‘But honestly, really good nurses are thin on the ground.’
He added: ‘If there was the money to put more training in place, I would love that, and I would love them to train more British dental nurses, but they are just not doing it and have never done enough training.’
For some practices, overseas dental nurse recruitment also provided a route for internationally qualified dentists to enter the UK workforce while pursuing registration as dentists.
That pathway was described by Damira Dental Group head Anushika Brogan in a recent Dentistry interview about overseas recruitment and sponsor licence compliance. The group had recruited some overseas-qualified dentists to work as dental nurses while supporting their longer-term progression.
Dentistry HR has produced a guide for dental employers. It covers advice before recruitment, ownership of sponsor duties, right to work checks, record keeping, reporting changes, attendance management and regular reviews of sponsored workers.
David sees similar value in employing somebody who already has dental knowledge and experience.
‘Getting a dentist to come in and work as a dental nurse is hugely advantageous for me as a business owner because they know what they’re doing,’ he said.
‘I’ve also got someone who might be my dentist in a few years’ time, so it’s kind of win-win.’
Overseas experience at the chairside
One of David’s dental nurses previously worked as an endodontist in Ukraine. She came to Scotland through the Homes for Ukraine scheme and is now working while pursuing a route towards UK dentist registration.
The route from an overseas dentistry qualification to UK practice can involve professional registration, immigration permission and access to an appropriate assessment route. Clearing one requirement does not guarantee the others.
‘God knows how long it will take her to become a dentist,’ he said.
Her immigration position is separate from the Skilled Worker visa changes. However, David believes her experience demonstrates what internationally trained dental professionals can contribute while they work towards UK registration.
International dentists now form most new registrants
The UK’s reliance on international recruitment extends beyond dental nursing.
More than half of dentists joining the General Dental Council register in 2025 were internationally qualified. They accounted for 53% of new dentist registrants, compared with 47% who qualified in the UK, Dentistry reported in May.
‘I’ve set up a model to recruit overseas in various ways because there simply aren’t enough UK dentists,’ David said.
The government has allocated 50 additional dental school places from 2027, divided equally between the University of East Anglia and the University of Portsmouth. However, questions remain over whether new dental school places can address the immediate workforce crisis, as the first students will take years to qualify and enter practice.
He accepted the case for expanding domestic education, but said practices needed people who could work now. Increasing training numbers would take years to produce qualified dentists and dental nurses.
For David, the problem was the decision to restrict overseas recruitment before domestic training could produce enough dentists and dental nurses to meet demand.
‘I do think it’s an act of self-harm,’ he said.
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