Who do the issues affect?

Patients and the public should be confident that the treatment they receive is provided by a dental professional who is properly trained and qualified and who meets our standards.  Standards to register to practise in the UK must be maintained. 

Dental professionals who want to practise in the UK but qualified outside the UK are affected because pressure has built up in some of the routes they need to take to register, causing delays. 

As of 31 December 2023, 30% of dentists on the register had qualified outside the UK, and 4.6% of DCPs had qualified outside the UK. 

For those who have qualified outside the UK, their route to registration will depend on where they qualified. Those who qualified within the EU/EEA have their qualifications automatically recognised under the standstill arrangements. These arrangements have been extended by the Government until June 2028. 

The Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) provides a route to registration for those whose qualifications are not recognised for the purposes of UK registration as a dentist. It is for applicants to who do not hold either a UK or EEA diploma in dentistry.