The number of dentists removed from the General Dental Council (GDC) register increased to 900 this year, up from 793 in 2025.
Despite this, the overall number of registered dentists after removals stood at more than 47,000. This was a 3% increase on the previous year’s figure of 45,580.
Removal from the register might be due to voluntary removal, non-payment of the annual retention fee (ARF), retirement or notifications of death.
The GDC released data on the number of registered dentists today (19 January) following the annual renewal period.
The registration numbers have increased continually over the years. For the past five years, the number of registered dentists and the percentage increase has been as follows:
- 2025 – 47,022 (+3.2%)
- 2025 – 45,580 (+3.1%)
- 2024 – 44,209 (+2.5%)
- 2023 – 43,130 (+2.2%)
- 2022 – 42,215 (+0.8%).
‘A useful benchmark’
The GDC said: ‘The figures provide a useful benchmark for the total number of dentists registered in the UK, and while we recognise there are important issues of concern, including access to NHS dental services, it is important to note that the renewal data does not provide insight into the number of professionals working in different settings or the hours they work.
‘However, we have again gathered working patterns data on dentists including the type of work they do, the number of hours they work, and whether they are working in the NHS or privately, which we intend to publish later in Q1 once the analysis has been completed.
‘We expect that the working patterns data will provide further insights to inform workforce discussions and planning.’
The regulator also acknowledged that the annual retention fee has been increased for 2026, having remained the same since 2024. It said this reflects ‘our ongoing commitment to maintaining professional standards while ensuring financial sustainability’.
The ARF now stands at £698 for dentists and £108 for dental care professionals (DCPs). This is roughly a 12.5% increase from the previous figure for all dental professionals.
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