Is Your Dentist Registered? How to Check the GDC Register, Scope of Practice and CQC Status (2026 UK Guide)

Last updated: August 2026. Sources: the General Dental Council, legislation.gov.uk, the Care Quality Commission, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority. All register and regulator details verified on 2 August 2026.

TL;DR Every dentist, hygienist, therapist and dental nurse working legally in the UK appears on the General Dental Council register, which anyone can search free at olr.gdc-uk.org. Practising dentistry unregistered is a criminal offence. Practice-level oversight is separate, and in England the CQC inspects dental practices but does not rate them.

Most people never think to check. You find a practice, you like the look of the website, you book, and you assume that anyone offering dental treatment must be allowed to. That assumption is right the overwhelming majority of the time. There are 131,680 dental professionals on the UK register, and the profession is one of the more tightly regulated in British healthcare [3].

But the assumption is doing a lot of work, and it tends to matter most exactly when the stakes are highest: a large cosmetic quote, an unfamiliar clinic, a treatment offered somewhere that is not a dental surgery, or a title on a website that sounds official but that you have never actually heard before.

Checking takes about two minutes and costs nothing. This guide explains how to do it, what the results mean, what each type of dental professional is legally allowed to do, and why the regulator that inspects the building your dentist works in is a different body from the one that registers the person treating you.

Who is legally allowed to treat your teeth in the UK

The rule is set by the Dentists Act 1984. Section 38 states that "a person who is not a registered dentist or a registered dental care professional shall not practise or hold himself out, whether directly or by implication, as practising or as being prepared to practise dentistry" [6].

That wording is deliberately wide. It catches not just doing the treatment, but advertising it, offering it, or presenting yourself as available to do it. Section 37 defines what counts as the practice of dentistry in the first place [7], and the courts have read it broadly: in the 2013 High Court case GDC v Jamous (EWHC 1428), tooth whitening was confirmed to be the practice of dentistry, which is why beauty salons cannot lawfully provide it regardless of the products used [8].

Breaching section 38 is a criminal offence, tried summarily, and the GDC states that all such violations are "punishable by an unlimited fine in England and Wales" [8]. Section 39 separately protects the titles themselves, so calling yourself a dentist without being registered is an offence even if you never treat anyone. Sections 40 and 41 criminalise taking payment for unregistered dental work, and section 43 requires that a company receiving payment for dental treatment has a majority of GDC-registered directors [8].

The practical upshot for you as a patient is simple. If the person treating you is not on the GDC register, they are not merely unqualified in some abstract sense. They are committing a crime.

How to check the GDC register in under two minutes

The register is public, free, and needs no account.

1. Go to olr.gdc-uk.org, the GDC's online register search.
2. Choose whether to search by register (name and town) or by registration number. The number is the quicker and more reliable route if you have it, because names are not unique.
3. If searching by name, enter the surname, and optionally a forename and town. There is a "sounds like" option that helps when you are unsure of the spelling.
4. Use the register dropdown to narrow the search: All Registers, Dentists, the DCP Register (for hygienists, therapists, nurses and technicians), Specialist Lists, Temporary Registrant Dentist, or Visiting Practitioners.
5. Click the matching result to open the individual record.

If the person is not there, search again with spelling variants and without a town before drawing conclusions. If they still do not appear, they are not registered.

The GDC puts this bluntly on its own patient-facing page about illegal practice: "If their name does not appear in these searches, they are not registered with us and cannot legally provide you with tooth whitening treatment" [20]. The same logic applies to dental treatment generally.

What a register entry actually tells you

An individual record shows more than a yes or no. Checked live on 2 August 2026, a standard entry displays:

• Name and registration number
• Status, for example Registered
• Registrant type, dentist or DCP
• First registration date, which tells you how long they have been on the UK register
• Current registration period, the dates the present annual registration runs to
• Qualification, awarding institution and year, shown in a single line such as "BDS Queen's University of Belfast 2005" [1]

That qualification line answers a question patients often ask awkwardly or not at all, which is where and when someone trained.

The register also carries current disciplinary information. Under the GDC's Disclosure and Publication Policy, "all public sanctions currently attached to a dentist's or DCP's registration are displayed on their individual record", together with the relevant hearing decision [4]. How long each stays visible is fixed:

Source: GDC Disclosure and Publication Policy, version 4, July 2024 [4].

One important limitation. The policy also states that "historical information about previous public restrictions placed on a registrant's registration, which are no longer in force, is not listed" [4]. A clean record today therefore means no live sanction, not a guarantee of an unblemished career. Advice issued privately by case examiners never appears on the register at all.

Registration has to be renewed every year

Being on the register once is not enough. Dentists must complete annual renewal by 31 December and dental care professionals by 31 July, paying the annual retention fee, declaring indemnity cover and making a continuing professional development statement. The GDC is explicit about the consequence: "failure to complete renewal on time means they will be removed from the register and will no longer be able to legally practise in the UK" [5].

This is not a rare technicality. Non-payment was the single largest cause of DCP removals in 2025, accounting for 2,326 of 3,986 removals [3]. It is one reason the "current registration period" line on a register entry is worth a glance.

The seven dental titles, and what each one can do

The GDC regulates seven protected titles [2]. The six that are not "dentist" are collectively called dental care professionals, or DCPs. As at 31 December 2025 the register held 143,072 titles in total, because some people hold more than one [3].

Registrant numbers from the GDC Registration Statistical Report 2025, data as at 31 December 2025 [3]. Role descriptions from the GDC's Guidance on Scope of Practice, effective 1 November 2025 [2].

The boundaries are worth knowing, because they are where confusion usually starts:

• Dental therapists carry out "direct restorations on the primary and secondary dentition" and undertake "pulpotomies, extractions and placing pre-formed crowns on the primary dentition". They do not extract permanent teeth [2]. So a therapist filling your tooth is entirely normal. A therapist taking out an adult tooth is not.
• Dental hygienists maintain and stabilise the dentition by managing periodontal disease and providing preventive care, but they "do not carry out indirect restorations, permanent direct restorations, or orthodontic treatment", they do not make or fit bite-raising appliances, and they do not extract teeth [2].
• Dental nurses support treatment and may monitor and process radiographs, but the GDC notes that "certain skills, in particular those relating to taking radiographs and assisting with the treatment of patients under conscious sedation, require specific training and certification that are set by other regulatory bodies" [2]. Taking radiographs is governed by the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 [21].

The current Scope of Practice guidance took effect on 1 November 2025, replacing the 2013 version. The restructure was presentational: the GDC states it does not change the scope of practice for any of the seven titles [2].

Direct access: seeing a hygienist or therapist without a dentist first

If you have been offered a hygienist appointment without seeing a dentist, that is lawful and has been for over a decade. The requirement to work only on a dentist's prescription was removed on 1 May 2013 [9].

Under direct access, hygienists and therapists "can carry out their full scope of practice except toothwhitening without needing a prescription from a dentist" [9]. Clinical dental technicians can see patients without natural teeth directly for full dentures, but need a dentist's prescription for patients who still have teeth [9].

What still requires a dentist:

• Tooth whitening must be provided on a dentist's prescription, with a dentist on the premises for the first treatment episode [9].
• Local anaesthetic is a prescription-only medicine, given under a patient-specific prescription or a patient group direction [9].
• Botox is not the practice of dentistry at all, and is a prescription-only medicine that only a registered doctor or dentist can prescribe after assessment [9].

A further change on 26 June 2024 allows hygienists and therapists to supply and administer certain prescription-only medicines under an exemptions mechanism, without a dentist's prescription, subject to appropriate training [10].

Direct access is optional for the clinician, so plenty of hygienists still prefer to work on referral. Either way, a good practice will tell you plainly when your needs go beyond what that clinician can provide, and refer you on. If you are weighing up the cost of seeing a hygienist directly, our guide to what a hygienist appointment costs in the UK sets out NHS and private prices.

Specialist titles: what "specialist" legally means

This is the section most likely to change how you read a dental website.

There are 13 GDC specialist lists, and they exist only for dentists. As at the end of 2025 they held 4,521 entries between them, the largest being orthodontics with 1,407 and oral surgery with 782 [3]. The 13 are: dental and maxillofacial radiology, dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral medicine, oral microbiology, oral surgery, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, restorative dentistry, and special care dentistry [3].

The GDC's rule is short: "dentists do not have to join a specialist list to practise any particular specialty, but they can only use the title 'specialist' if they are on that list" [11].

Now read that list of 13 again. Cosmetic dentistry is not on it. Implantology is not on it. There is no such thing as a GDC-recognised "cosmetic dentist" or "implantologist", because neither is a recognised specialty. That does not mean a dentist doing implants or veneers is doing anything wrong, and many are highly experienced. It means the word carries no regulatory weight, and you cannot verify it the way you can verify an orthodontist.

The GDC's advertising guidance draws the line clearly. A dentist on a specialist list "can use the title 'Specialist' or describe yourself as a 'specialist in...'". A dentist not on a list "must not use titles which may imply specialist status such as Orthodontist, Periodontist, Endodontist etc", and should instead use wording such as "special interest in..", "experienced in.." or "practice limited to..." [12]. DCPs must not use titles implying specialist status either, and the guidance gives "smile specialist" and "denture specialist" as examples of what not to say [12].

To check a specialist claim, use the same register search and select Specialist Lists from the dropdown, then the relevant specialty. If someone describes themselves as a specialist orthodontist, they should appear there.

This matters most before high-value work. Before committing to dental implants, veneers or orthodontic treatment, it is entirely reasonable to check what the person quoting you is actually registered as.

The practice, not just the person: CQC and why dental practices have no rating

Registration covers the individual. A separate system covers the premises and the business, and in England that is the Care Quality Commission.

All providers of primary dental care in England must register with the CQC to carry out regulated activities. Your practice's registration status, and the reports from any assessment, are published free on cqc.org.uk. You can search by practice name or postcode.

Here is the part that surprises almost everyone. The CQC does not give dental practices a rating. Not Outstanding, not Good, not Requires improvement. The CQC's own guidance lists the services that are "exempt from CQC's legal duty to give a rating", and primary dental services are the first entry on that list [13].

Instead of a rating, each of the five key questions, safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, receives a judgement of either "Regulations met" or "Not all regulations met". The CQC explains that "Regulations met indicates the provider is compliant with all regulations related to that quality statement", while "Not all regulations met indicates that the provider has breached one or more regulations" [13].

The scale of this is easy to see. Filtering the CQC's own directory for active dental locations on 2 August 2026 returns 12,248 results, of which 12,211 show as "Not rated" [14]. A live practice page reflects exactly that: five key questions, each marked "Regulations met", a published assessment report, the registered manager's name, and no star rating anywhere [14].

So if you have ever searched for a "Good rated dentist" and found nothing useful, this is why. The absence of a rating is not a red flag and tells you nothing bad about a practice. What is worth reading is the assessment report itself, which is published in full and covers infection control, radiation safety, staff recruitment checks, medical emergency preparedness and governance.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: who inspects the practice there

The GDC register is a single UK-wide register. The GDC "register[s] the whole dental team, across the four nations of the UK" [3], so the individual check in this guide works identically wherever you live.

Practice-level oversight is devolved, and genuinely different in each nation:

If you are in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, search the relevant body's website rather than the CQC, which covers England only.

Dentists who qualified overseas

A dentist who trained abroad is not a lesser dentist. They are on the same single register, held to the same standards, and had to satisfy the GDC before being admitted.

As at 31 December 2025, of the 47,916 dentists on the register, 65.9% qualified in the UK, 18.7% held EEA qualifications, 10.1% came through the Overseas Registration Examination, 3.2% were assessed as rest-of-world qualified and 2.1% came via the Licence in Dental Surgery [3].

That balance is shifting quickly. Of the new dentist titles added during 2025, only 46.9% were UK qualified. The GDC describes 2025 as "a clear tipping point in new additions to the dentist register", the first year in which non-UK qualified dentists accounted for more than half of new registrations [3]. In March 2026 the GDC announced changes to the Overseas Registration Examination that it says could produce "a five-fold increase in the number of internationally qualified dentists joining the register by this route" [3].

For EEA-qualified dentists, recognition after Brexit is near-automatic rather than automatic. Applications with a recognised EEA qualification "will be processed via a near-automatic recognition process", and following a UK government review in 2023 these arrangements were extended for a further five years. The GDC states plainly: "we do not know what arrangements will be in place after this period of time" [18].

None of this changes what you do as a patient. The register entry shows the qualification, the institution and the year, so you can simply look. If you are comparing UK treatment against going abroad, that regulatory backstop is one of the main practical differences, which our guide to dental treatment abroad versus UK treatment covers in detail.

Red flags, and what to do if someone is not registered

Some warning signs come straight from the rules themselves.

No GDC number on the website. The GDC's advertising guidance requires that a practice website shows, for each dental professional named, their GDC registration number, their name as it appears on the register, their professional qualification and the country that qualification is from. Registration numbers must also appear in advertising more generally [12]. A site that names clinicians but gives no numbers is not meeting that standard.

A short course presented as a qualification. The GDC is direct about this: "someone who has done a short training course cannot offer this treatment legally or safely" [20].

Being handed products to use yourself, under instruction. The GDC warns that "handing an individual a tooth whitening tray and advising them on application, amongst other things, could constitute the giving of 'advice or attendance' and in those circumstances would be a criminal offence" [20].

Reassurance that they are insured. As the GDC puts it: "you cannot be insured against committing a criminal offence" [20].

A dental business whose directors are not registered. Section 43 of the Dentists Act requires a majority of GDC-registered directors in a company receiving payment for dental treatment [8].

If you believe someone is practising illegally, the GDC investigates and prosecutes. It states that it "will bring criminal prosecutions where we have sufficient evidence that individuals who are not registered dental professionals are committing offences" [19]. Reports can be made through the illegal practice form on the GDC website, or in writing to Illegal Practice, General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ [19].

Note the boundary here. Registration is about whether someone is legally allowed to treat you. If your concern is about the standard of care you received from a registered professional, that is a complaint, and it follows a different route through the practice, then the relevant NHS body or the Dental Complaints Service.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if a dentist is registered with the GDC?

Search the free public register at olr.gdc-uk.org. You can look someone up by surname and town, or by registration number if you have it. The record shows their status, registrant type, first registration date, current registration period, qualification and any live disciplinary sanction. No account or payment is needed.

Is it illegal to practise dentistry without being registered?

Yes. Section 38 of the Dentists Act 1984 makes it a criminal offence to practise dentistry, or hold yourself out as prepared to practise it, without GDC registration. Section 39 separately protects the titles. The GDC states these offences are punishable by an unlimited fine in England and Wales, and it prosecutes cases itself.

Do dental practices have a CQC rating?

No. Primary dental services in England are exempt from the CQC's legal duty to award a rating, so you will not find Outstanding or Good ratings for a dental practice. Instead each of the five key questions is judged "Regulations met" or "Not all regulations met". Read the published assessment report rather than looking for stars.

Can a dental hygienist or therapist treat me without seeing a dentist first?

Yes. Since 1 May 2013, direct access has allowed hygienists and therapists to provide their full scope of practice without a dentist's prescription, with tooth whitening the main exception. They must refer you to a dentist when your needs go beyond their scope, and some clinicians still choose to work on referral only.

Can a dental therapist do fillings?

Yes. The GDC's Scope of Practice guidance confirms dental therapists carry out direct restorations on both baby and adult teeth, and can extract baby teeth and place preformed crowns on them. They do not extract permanent teeth. A therapist placing your filling is entirely normal and within their registered scope.

Is "cosmetic dentist" a recognised UK specialty?

No. There are 13 GDC specialist lists and cosmetic dentistry is not among them, nor is implantology. Only dentists on a relevant specialist list may use the title "specialist". Others may say they have a special interest in an area, or that their practice is limited to it, but not claim specialist status.

Does the GDC register show if a dentist has been disciplined?

It shows sanctions currently in force, with the hearing decision. Erasure appears for five years, a reprimand for one year, and conditions or suspension for their duration plus one month. Restrictions that have expired are not shown, so a clean entry means no live sanction rather than a spotless history.

Are dentists who qualified abroad allowed to work in the UK?

Yes, once the GDC admits them to the same UK-wide register, through routes including the Overseas Registration Examination, the Licence in Dental Surgery, or near-automatic recognition of a listed EEA qualification. In 2025, for the first time, most new dentist registrations came through non-UK routes. The register shows where and when each dentist qualified.

Check first, then book

Two minutes on the GDC register, and a look at the practice's published assessment report, will tell you more than an hour spent reading testimonials. Do both before you agree to anything expensive, and be particularly careful with any treatment offered outside a dental practice, at a price that seems impossible, or by someone whose title you cannot find on the register.

When you are ready to find a practice, you can search for a dentist near you on Dentists Closeby and compare the practices covering your area. Our complete guide to finding a good dentist in the UK covers what else to weigh up, registering with an NHS or private dental practice explains how to get onto a practice's books, and our comparison of NHS and private dental care sets out the cost and access differences between the two.

Sources

1. Search the GDC register -- General Dental Council, live register, checked 2026-08-02
2. Guidance on Scope of Practice -- General Dental Council, effective 1 November 2025, accessed 2026-08-02
3. Registration Statistical Report 2025 -- General Dental Council, published May 2026, data as at 31 December 2025, accessed 2026-08-02
4. Disclosure and Publication Policy, version 4 -- General Dental Council, last amended 2 July 2024, accessed 2026-08-02
5. GDC opens annual renewal period for dentists -- General Dental Council, published 10 November 2025, accessed 2026-08-02
6. Dentists Act 1984, section 38 -- legislation.gov.uk, current version as amended, accessed 2026-08-02
7. Dentists Act 1984, section 37 -- legislation.gov.uk, current version as amended, accessed 2026-08-02
8. What the law says -- General Dental Council, accessed 2026-08-02
9. Information on Direct Access -- General Dental Council, November 2020, accessed 2026-08-02
10. GDC welcomes change that improves dental care delivery from hygienists and therapists -- General Dental Council, published 26 June 2024, accessed 2026-08-02
11. Specialist lists -- General Dental Council, accessed 2026-08-02
12. Guidance on advertising -- General Dental Council, effective 30 September 2013, accessed 2026-08-02
13. Services we do not rate -- Care Quality Commission, page last updated 8 January 2025, accessed 2026-08-02
14. Find a dental service -- Care Quality Commission directory and individual location pages, checked 2026-08-02
15. Dentists -- Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, published 4 December 2025, accessed 2026-08-02
16. Inspections, reviews and regulation -- Healthcare Improvement Scotland, accessed 2026-08-02
17. Register and published enforcement -- Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, Northern Ireland, accessed 2026-08-02
18. Dentists with EEA qualifications -- General Dental Council, accessed 2026-08-02
19. Illegal practice and reporting it -- General Dental Council, accessed 2026-08-02
20. Tooth whitening and illegal practice -- General Dental Council, accessed 2026-08-02
21. The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 -- legislation.gov.uk, SI 2017/1322, accessed 2026-08-02