The government’s decision to press ahead with long-overdue reforms to healthcare regulation, while excluding the General Dental Council (GDC), sends a disheartening message to dental professionals across the UK. Once again, dentistry appears to be treated as a second-class profession, sidelined in discussions that are pivotal to the future of safe, effective, and compassionate patient care.

While regulators such as the GMC and NMC are being empowered with modern, flexible legislation to support and regulate their professions more proportionately, the GDC remains stuck in a framework better suited to the last century than the next.

This lack of reform is not simply a matter of professional frustration — it has real consequences for patient safety and the well-being of those delivering care.

Dentists continue to operate under the shadow of a regulatory body constrained by outdated legislation that fosters a punitive, adversarial environment rather than one focused on learning and improvement. This ‘stick over support’ model belongs to the Dark Ages, not a modern healthcare system.

The mental toll this has on professionals cannot be overstated. Investigations under the current system are often prolonged and distressing, with little flexibility to deal proportionately with concerns. This undermines morale, drives defensive dentistry, and deters open, honest practice.

Patients deserve a regulatory system that promotes safe, modern care and gives professionals the confidence and support to provide it.

Dentists deserve the same progressive oversight being extended to their medical and nursing colleagues. Reform of the GDC should not be an afterthought — it should be a priority.

At Densura, we urge the government to recognise the vital role that dentistry plays in the health of the nation and to act accordingly. Legislative reform is not a luxury – it is a necessity for a fairer, safer, and more sustainable future in dental care.

Dr Julian Perry, VP at Densura