Number of registered dental care professionals increases by 6%

The General Dental Council’s Registration Statistical Report for 2024 showed that the number of dental professional on its register has increased.

As published in The Dentist, the report reveals that, in December 2024, there were 125,736 registered dental professionals: 46,362 dentists and 79,374 dental care professionals (DCPs). Compared to 2023, this is a 2.6% increase in dentists and 6.1% in DCPs.

The most significant changes in the register were:

• the 23.5% increase in dental therapists with 1,402 new registrations
• the 9.6% increase in dental hygienists, with 921 new registrations
• the 5.4% increase in dental nurses, with 3,349 new registrations

Although the number of dental professionals increased overall, the number of dental technicians declined for the fifth year in a row. There are now only 5,025 registered, there are almost 10% fewer dental technicians compared to 2020.

The report also provides an overview of registration activity throughout 2024. This includes detailed information on the number of dental professionals, registration trends, and demographic profiles. It reveals that:

• The dental register is predominantly female with 78% of all dental professionals identifying as female (53% of dentists and 93% of DCPs).
• Dental nurses make up over 50% of all those registered with the GDC, 97% of dental nurses are female.
• 30% of dentists are of Asian or Asian British ethnic origin.

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