The General Dental Council (GDC) is aware that the booking process for its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) can be challenging for candidates due to the very high demand for exam places. The GDC’s recently concluded procurement exercise has resulted in new contracts for ORE provision that will substantially increase capacity of the exam, with places for Part Two increasing from 720 to 944 in the first year of the contract, and to 1,500 by year three.

The GDC currently offers priority booking to candidates approaching their five-year time limit to pass the ORE exam, as well as to candidates with refugee status, as they are particularly disadvantaged by their inability to return to their country of origin to practise as a dentist.

The Department has asked the GDC to develop an improved booking system as part of the new ORE contract arrangements and to consider what measures could be taken to support candidates on the waiting list who are resident in the United Kingdom.

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry. As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the dental register.

Changes to the GDC’s legislation made in 2023 gave it greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes, including additional flexibility in how it operates the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and the ability to recognise overseas dentistry diplomas. New rules for the ORE made by the GDC under these reforms came into effect in March 2024.

I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place and its ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. However, I recognise that there remains a considerable waiting list for candidates to sit the exam. I met with the GDC earlier in July 2025 and have asked it to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the ORE waiting list and will be regularly meeting with it to monitor progress with this plan.

The GDC is currently consulting on its 2026-28 Corporate Strategy in which it has stated it will develop a comprehensive and accessible framework for registering overseas-qualified dental professionals, considering routes to registration in a holistic way. We will continue to encourage the GDC to make full use of the flexibilities that the 2023 legislation introduced when developing this framework.

I have asked the General Dental Council (GDC) to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the GDC’s Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) waiting list, and I will be regularly meeting with them to monitor progress.

I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place, as well as their ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. I will continue to discuss the new arrangements with the GDC, with a focus on understanding how they will further increase the availability of the ORE exam in the short and longer term.

The Department not be proceeding with providing the GDC with any additional legislative powers for international registration at this time. Having considered options for a provisional registration scheme, the Government’s view is that other, more cost-effective and efficient routes to registration should be the immediate priority.

Meanwhile, we expect the GDC to make full use of the flexibility afforded by the international registration reforms introduced in 2023 to ensure that those who have the right skills and experience are able to join its registers as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Registration with the General Dental Council in the United Kingdom is a separate process from obtaining a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa, although both are required to enable overseas dental professionals to work in the UK.

On 1 July 2025, changes to immigration rules were laid before Parliament which, subject to Parliamentary approval, will come into force from 22 July. Dentists meet the new higher skill level of Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6 or above, and continue to remain eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa under the immigration changes.

The expanded Immigration Salary List (ISL) and interim Temporary Shortage List (TSL) allow time-limited access, until the end of 2026, to the UK’s immigration system for selected occupations of skill level RQF 3 to 5, with restrictions on bringing dependants. The evidence considered by the independent Migration Advisory Committee for the ISL and by the Department for Business and Trade for the TSL did not support including dental technicians, dental nurses, dental hygienists, or dental therapists on either list. Therefore, these occupations will no longer be eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa or Skilled Worker visa from 22 July.

A transition period applies for those already in the UK, where skilled workers can continue to be sponsored in RQF level 3 to 5 occupations if they are already in the route, meaning they have a visa or have a Certificate of Sponsorship issued, before 22 July, even where an occupation is not on the ISL or the TSL, providing they continue to meet all other requirements of the route.

The Licence in Dental Surgery (LDS) exam is operated by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng), and the exam is regulated by the General Dental Council (GDC). There are no restrictions to accessing the exam based on British residency status.

It is the role of the GDC to approve eligibility criteria for the exam, which is proposed by the RCSEng as its operator. The GDC is independent of the Government. The RCSEng continues to increase the capacity of the LDS exam to ensure more candidates can access a place.

The Licence in Dental Surgery (LDS) exam is operated by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng), and the exam is regulated by the General Dental Council (GDC). There are no restrictions to accessing the exam based on British residency status.

It is the role of the GDC to approve eligibility criteria for the exam, which is proposed by the RCSEng as its operator. The GDC is independent of the Government. The RCSEng continues to increase the capacity of the LDS exam to ensure more candidates can access a place.

In May 2023, changes were made to the Performers List Regulations for England to accelerate the process for domestic and overseas dentists joining the Dental Performers List to be able to practise in the National Health Service. Further changes came into force in September 2023.

The Government is determined to rebuild NHS dentistry, and strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. Dentists that meet our high standards should be able to enter the workforce efficiently, and we are exploring the best ways to achieve this.

No date has been set. The Government is determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, and strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. Dentists that meet our high standards should be able to enter the workforce efficiently, and we are exploring the best ways to achieve this, including whether there is merit to the introduction of a provisional registration status for overseas-qualified dentists.

To join the General Dental Council’s (GDC) dentists register, a person must hold: a dentistry degree from a recognised United Kingdom dental school; a qualification in dentistry from a European Economic Area country or Switzerland, recognised under the European Union exit standstill arrangements; or a qualification in dentistry obtained before 2001 from one of a limited number of overseas dental schools.

For dentists with qualifications gained from anywhere else, they must demonstrate to the GDC that they have the required skills and knowledge for full registration. Currently, this means they are required to pass one of the following examinations before they can apply for registration: the Overseas Registration Exam; or the Licence in Dental Surgery exam, offered by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Legislative changes which came into force in March 2023 gave the GDC greater flexibility in expanding the registration routes for international applicants, and improving its international registration processes. On 16 February 2024, the Government launched a consultation on further draft legislation that would give the GDC powers to provisionally register overseas-qualified dentists who have not yet met the GDC’s requirements for full registration.

The Government has already made legislative changes that give the General Dental Council (GDC) greater flexibility in expanding the registration routes for international applicants, and improving its international registration processes, including how it operates the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE). This legislation came into force in March 2023, and new rules for the ORE made by the GDC under these reforms come into effect this month.

We welcomed the GDC’s announcements that sittings of the ORE part one from August 2023 to the end of 2024, will have triple the previous capacity, and that an additional sitting of the ORE part two will be provided in 2024. Together, these steps have created more than 1300 additional places across the two ORE parts.

Dentists must be listed on the Dental Performers List (DPL), to deliver National Health Service dental services in England. The DPL is managed by NHS England, which does not currently collect data on DPL application processing times in the format requested. NHS England is committed to working to ensure DPL applications are managed as quickly as possible to support the delivery of NHS dentistry.