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Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Dental CPD: aims and requirements
The GDC has issued new guidance on CPD which recommends that all dentists carry out verifiable CPD in some core subject areas from the beginning of their second CPD cycle.
The subjects are:
- Medical emergencies (at least 10 hours in every CPD cycle)
- Disinfection and decontamination (at least 5 hours in every CPD cycle);
- and Radiography and radiation protection (at least 5 hours in every CPD cycle)
The GDC will consult shortly on its plans to introduce revalidation for all its registrants. The aim of revalidation will be to protect the public by making sure that all dental professionals show that they are fit to stay on our registers. Dental professionals will do this by regularly 'revalidating' their registration. To do that, they will need to be able to show that their knowledge is up-to-date, their professional performance in the field in which they perform is up to the standards needed to maintain registration, and their behaviour meets the standards set out in our ethical guidance 'Standards for dental professionals'. Compulsory CPD is essential to meeting the first of these requirements.
The Chair of the GDC’s Education Committee, Paul Cook, said:
"The GDC has introduced these core CPD subjects after wide consultation. We think that all dentists have a responsibility as registered professionals to be able to advise on these fundamental patient safety issues, whatever their working environment and chosen field of practice. The recommendations are not onerous, and leave ample scope for specialists to tailor the remainder of their verifiable and non-verifiable CPD in accordance with a personal development plan.
The GDC will work closely with the Faculty in developing its revalidation proposals for specialists, and will consult at every stage of revalidation development. You can find out more about revalidation by looking at the GDC website at www.gdc-uk.org. The GDC will post consultation documents on its website once available, and publicise consultations in the dental press. This will give you an opportunity to have your say on the GDC’s revalidation proposals."
