Some Failed ORE Dentists Are Already Registered With The GDC
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- Published: Monday, 30 May 2022 07:30
- Written by Chris Tapper
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GDPUK can reveal that 46% of the candidates who failed the Overseas Registration Examination in January 2022 are already registered with the General Dental Council.
A Freedom of Information request to the regulator has shown that the failed candidates were registered as either dental therapists or dental hygienists - some being registered with both titles.
The GDC said that 131 candidates sat Part 2 of the ORE in January.
Figures published on the GDC website show that 42% of the candidates who took Part 2 of the ORE failed the practical Dental Manikin (phantom head) exercise, while 39% failed the Medical Emergencies Exercise.
Early in May, GDPUK reported that the General Dental Council had published its commitment to closing the route by which overseas-qualified dentists are registering as dental care professionals (DCP’s).
The GDC published its response to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation on ‘Changes to the General Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s international registration legislation.’
At the time, the GDC said on its website “The proposals will close the route for overseas-qualified dentists to register as dental care professionals. This will reflect the spirit of the legislation and mirror current arrangements for UK-qualified dentists.”
The British Association of Dental Therapists has been campaigning for three years to secure the integrity of the UK’s dental therapy profession, by closing the loophole in the Dentists Act which allowed overseas dentists to register as dental therapists or dental hygienists with no direct examination of their clinical practical skills.
In September 2019, the GDC was resolute that its processes for registering dentists as dental therapists was ‘robust’ and claimed there was no evidence to seek changes to address the concerns raised by the BADT, British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, the British Dental Association and the larger dental indemnity organisations.
As we reported in May, “The ‘robust’ process involved the assessment of dental undergraduate curriculums and other purely paperwork-based assessments.”
The GDC began registering overseas dental care professionals in 2016, under Section 36C of the Dentists Act 1984.
The BADT had long argued for the introduction of a ‘Level playing field’ by bringing registration in line with the requirements placed on UK graduates.
The FOI request confirmed the BADT’s fears that overseas dentists who have failed the ORE are being registered as dental therapists.
A number of companies have sprung up over the past few years to offer ‘consultancy services’ to dentists who wished to register with the GDC as dental therapists or dental hygienists.
Many have taken advantage of the ORE backlogs that have accumulated, partly due to the suspension of the two-part examinations as a result of the pandemic.
Even in the past week, the College of Medicine & Dentistry posted on social media “Are you a dentist who has dreamed of working and living in the UK? Always wanted to take the leap but never thought you could?”
“Now you can! Join our MSc programme in Advanced General Dental Practice and start living in the UK this year.”
“Our benefits include a 5 year visa to study and work in the UK. A £6,000 contribution to your expenses from MyDentist and the opportunity to work as a dental therapist whilst you study and earn up to £45,000 a year, including bonuses.”
In its FOI response to GDPUK, the GDC said “The ORE tests the clinical skills and knowledge of dentists.”
“To pass the ORE, candidates are expected to meet or exceed the standard of a ‘just passed’ UK BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) graduate.”
“While some of the learning outcomes of the BDS courses are similar to those leading to registration as a dental hygienist or dental therapist, many are significantly different.”
“Professionals with international qualifications are assessed against the learning outcomes for the particular title(s) they are applying for. The result of an assessment for registration in one title therefore does not and cannot relate to the result from another.”
But the Acting President of the BADT questioned the GDC’s FOI opinion.
Debbie Hemington told GDPUK “These (FOI) figures bear out our assertion that a clinical skills assessment should be included for registration as dental therapist in particular.”
“Whilst the GDC claim the ORE examines skills applicable to a dentist registration, 13 of the 15 most common reasons for failing the ORE part 2 are applicable to a dental therapists scope of practice and the clinical standards expected are exactly the same,” Ms Hemington concluded.
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