Illegal practice and how to report it

Illegal practice is when someone, who is not registered with the General Dental Council, offers a dental service such as tooth whitening.

What is illegal practice?

Illegal practice might include unregistered, erased or suspended individuals who:

• offer dental treatment or advice
• offer tooth whitening
• make or fit dentures directly to the public
• call themselves dentists or other dental titles
• receive payment for dental treatments or advice.

It also includes companies who receive payment for dental treatments or advice where the majority of directors are not registered with us.

How to report illegal practice

If you believe someone is practising illegally, you can report it to us:

• online: report illegal or unregistered practice, or 
• in writing: Illegal Practice, General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ

Please provide as much detail as possible to help us investigate fully, including:

• your name, address and contact details
• the full name and address of the person or company you wish to complain about (if known)
• the nature of the query or complaint
• an explanation of what happened and the date it happened
• details of any patient harm suffered
• details of any action you have already taken
• any other information which you feel could be useful

See also our easy read leaflet on reporting illegal tooth whitening or dentistry.