Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the pass rate for the General Dental Council's overseas register exam.

During the period 1 January to 31 December 2022, 160 overseas-qualified dentists passed its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and were added to the register. In the most recent sitting for which the General Dental Council (GDC) has published data, 49% of candidates passed part 1 in its entirety (August 2022) and 41% of candidates passed part 2 in its entirety (September 2022). Results for the ORE are available at the following link:

https://www.gdc-uk.org/registration/overseas-registration-exam/ore-results

The Department has met with the GDC and discussed the ways in which it can support the efficient delivery of the ORE, whilst maintaining high standards within the dental profession.