Dental nurses and dental technicians - Hurry, Register Now - Pay Less, UK

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 26 Sep 2007 - 16:00 PDT

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Dental nurses and dental technicians who haven't yet registered with the General Dental Council are being urged to apply now and take advantage of the 2007 application fee.

Nurses and technicians who register before January 2008 will pay the existing fee - £72 - and no more until their first annual retention fee is due, in July 2009.

With less than a year to go before registration becomes a legal requirement for nurses and technicians, many thousands are still to apply. Those who continue to put off registration will not only pay a higher fee but could leave it too late and find themselves working illegally - the consequences of which would be disastrous.

To deal with the anticipated last minute surge in applications, the GDC has agreed an increase in the registration fee for all dental care professional groups from 1 January 2008. The £96 fee will help to fund contingency arrangements.

Hew Mathewson, GDC President, said:

"The good news is that those dental nurses and dental technicians who have the foresight to apply now will pay the current registration fee of £72 and this will keep them on the register until July 2009. Early registration will also help us, given a shortfall in the number of expected registrations to date. January's fee rise is in part to help pay for this shortfall.

The message to dental nurses and dental technicians is clear - act now, pay the current lower fee of £72, and see your registration effective until July 2009."

Find application forms and more information about DCP registration at http://www.gdc-uk.org.

1. The 2008 fee levels for all registrant groups were agreed at the Council's meeting on Tuesday 18 September, which took place in Cardiff in public:

Dentists DCPs* Retention £438 £96** Temporary registration £438 n/a First registration £37 per month from the first month of entry £8*** per month from the first month of entry Restoration £110 £24 Specialist first registration £250 n/a Specialist retention £52 n/a

*DCPs include: dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians, dental nurses and orthodontic therapists.

**Dental nurses and dental technicians who are already registered with the GDC do not need to pay an annual retention fee until July 2009, when the first year of compulsory registration for these two groups ends.

***Dental nurses and dental technicians who register for the first time between 1 January 2008 and 30 July 2008 (the registration deadline) will pay a £96 registration fee, which will cover them for up to 18 months, until July 2009, when their first annual retention fee is due.

General Dental Council