Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of returning to the system in place prior to 2001 for recognising dental qualifications from leading Commonwealth dental schools to help increase the number of dentists practising in the UK.

On 22 February 2022, the General Dental Council (GDC) announced the full resumption of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and published its sittings schedule for both parts of the exam for 2022.

The capacity of the ORE is constrained by rules within the GDC’s legislative framework. The Department is currently consulting on proposals to amend the GDC’s legislation to allow it greater flexibility to put in place alternative routes to registration for international applicants. The consultation closes on 6 May 2022. Subject to the outcome of the consultation and Parliamentary approval, we aim to introduce the legislative changes in autumn 2022. It will be for the GDC, as an independent regulator, to decide how to use the flexibility which these proposals allow, including the appropriate way to assess overseas qualifications.

Automatic recognition arrangements are in place for relevant dental qualifications obtained in the European Economic Area and Switzerland for a period of 24 months from the end of the transition period or 48 months for Swiss qualifications. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is required to carry out a statutory review of these arrangements after the 24-month period. This review will be conducted at the start of 2023. However, automatic recognition of qualifications will continue until further legislation is introduced to amend or end these arrangements.