Annual renewal of registration is required by 31 July each year for Dental Care Professionals and 31 December each year for Dentists.

At the same time as renewing your registration, and declaring you have valid indemnity, since the introduction of the Enhanced CPD Scheme in 2018 registrants are also required to make an annual CPD statement (or end of cycle statement) to the GDC within 28 days of the end of the relevant annual renewal period.

A CPD statement is an annual statement provided to the GDC confirming the number of hours of CPD a registrant has completed and a declaration that the information provided to the GDC is accurate and meets the GDC’s CPD scheme requirements. The scheme requires registrants to keep a Personal Development Plan (PDP) and a CPD activity log to record the CPD undertaken. Reflections on completed CPD are also required.

Registrants can find out full details of their CPD requirement on the GDC website but the key points to note are:

• CPD cycles last five years.
• Dental Nurses and Dental Technicians are required to undertake a minimum of 50 hours of verifiable CPD in their cycle.
• Dental therapists, dental hygienists, orthodontic therapists and clinical dental technicians are required to complete a minimum of 75 hours of verifiable CPD in their cycle.
• Dentists are required to undertake a minimum of 100 hours of verifiable CPD in their cycle.
• All registrants must also ensure they complete at least 10 hours of verifiable CPD during any two-year period in their cycle. For example, a registrant is not permitted to complete 100 hours of CPD in the first two years and no further CPD for the remaining three years of their cycle.
• The GDC recommends CPD is completed on the following topics:
  • Medical emergencies – at least 10 hours in a CPD cycle, split into at least 2 hours per year;
  • Decontamination – at least 5 hours per cycle;
  • Radiography and radiation – at least 5 years per cycle (a dental technician can do CPD on materials and equipment instead);
  • Legal and ethical issues – no recommendation of hours specified;
  • Complaints handling – no recommendation of hours specified;
  • Oral cancer – early detection – no recommendation of hours specified;
  • Safeguarding children and young people – no recommendation of hours specified;
  • Safeguarding vulnerable adults – no recommendation of hours specified;

• CPD must be verifiable. This can include attending CPD courses (in person or online), training days, clinical audits, hands-on training.
• If you have not been able to undertake sufficient CPD for whatever reason, you are still required to submit your annual CPD statement but you should also look to provide the GDC with information as to any extenuating circumstances for not completing the required amount of GDC. You can apply for a grace period of up to 56 days after the end of your CPD cycle to comply with your CPD requirements.
• The GDC can request to see copies of your CPD log, PDP and evidence of the CPD you have undertaken.

The GDC provide a helpful template for both the enhanced CPD log and PDP on their website.

DCP’s are required to submit their annual CPD statement very shortly and whilst Dentists have until December, we would recommend all registrants keep both their CPD Log and PDP as up to date as possible throughout the year. This saves you the effort of having to remember the CPD you have undertaken at an earlier stage in the year when you come to complete your annual GDC statement. CPD and PDP’s also form a key part of a registrant’s remediation evidence, if they were to ever find their fitness to practise being investigated by the GDC. Therefore, from a pragmatic perspective it is always helpful to have up to date CPD material to hand to provide to those advising you if you were to ever be investigated by the GDC.

Most importantly, don’t miss the deadline for providing your CPD statement to the GDC!  A failure to do so can lead to removal from the Register.