GDC Stakeholder Survey 2023

We commissioned YouGov to undertake research to explore the understanding and perceptions of the GDC among dental professionals, dental students and trainees, and other key stakeholders. 

This is the third in a continuing series of research projects aimed at supporting the GDC’s work, including its communications and engagement with stakeholders. Previous studies, based on fieldwork conducted in 2018 and 2020, were published in 2019 and 2021, respectively. 

The study combined quantitative and qualitative methods. It involved an online survey of GDC registrants (dental professionals), dental students and trainees, and other stakeholders, supplemented by focus groups and interviews. In total, over 3,200 registrants, 106 students, and 68 stakeholders participated in the survey. 

The quantitative (survey) fieldwork was undertaken between 29 November and 20 December 2023, while the qualitative strand to the research was conducted between 8-19 January 2024. 

Here are some of the key findings from the research. The full report can be downloaded from the link below. 

• The latest survey shows modest improvements in how dental professionals view the regulator since 2020, with positive perceptions increasing from 16% to 20%, and negative views dropping from 65% to 56%. Dental students generally held more favourable opinions than other groups, with 26% expressing a positive view of the GDC.  

• Whilst registrants associated the GDC with many of the terms linked to the GDC’s corporate strategy, such as professional and relevant – 50% and 44% respectively, other common associations included ‘fear’ and ‘unrepresentative’, both 46%. There was a positive shift, with registrants less likely to see the GDC as unrepresentative than in 2020, down to 46% from 54%.

• Among students, fear was the most commonly associated word at just over half (53%) with knowledgeable second (41%). Other stakeholders most commonly associated the GDC with being unrepresentative (40%), followed by aggressive and defensive (both 34%). 

• There was strong awareness among stakeholders of the GDC’s core functions, such as maintaining the dental register (87%) and investigating fitness-to-practise concerns (78%). However, misconceptions persisted, with 48% of respondents incorrectly believing that the GDC sets clinical standards. 

• The most common misconception about the GDC among dental professionals remained that it sets clinical standards (48% - the same proportion as 2020), followed by representing the interests of dental professionals (30%). The least common misconceptions about the GDC were that it sets NHS fee levels for dental treatment (8%) and that it inspects dental surgeries and clinics (10%). There was a small increase in the proportion who thought workforce planning was a function of the GDC (from 13% to 16%). The proportion of students (66%) who thought that the GDC sets clinical standards was higher than any other groups.

• The majority of dental professionals (59%) found GDC communications useful, with email remaining the preferred communication channel, although there was growing reliance on the GDC website.