GDC publishes further dental workforce pattern data

We have today published more data from our research into the working patterns of dentists.

The data provides additional location-based information on the proportion of dentists who are providing NHS care, private care or both, and how much time they spent working in clinical or non-clinical roles.

This work follows our commitment last year to support the sector to better understand its workforce challenges and illuminate the public debate on the dental workforce. Today’s additional postcode data release is also part of our efforts to improve the data we capture for the benefit of the dental sector.

Theresa Thorp, Executive Director, Regulation, said: 

“Today’s release is the latest addition to the growing source of data we have been able to gather, for the first time ever at this scale, from dental professionals. It provides further insight and a clearer picture of where our dentists are working across the UK.

“We are grateful to all the dentists who responded to the working patterns survey as part of their annual renewal in late 2023. Their data and feedback has allowed us to build up that rich picture of the workforce. With the additional data we release today, there is even more useful information about where dentists work, their balance between private and NHS practice, and their balance between clinical and non-clinical roles and activities, across the four nations of the UK.”

25,159 dentists (57% of the register) responded to the working patterns survey. We released the initial results in March 2024. This additional postcode data we were able to gather has provided us, and the rest of the sector, with a greater understanding of the current state of the UK dental workforce.