Dentists and dental care professionals
GDC fitness to practise: defence for dentists and dental care professionals
The General Dental Council runs its process in four stages and uses a pair of case examiners. Hearings go to one of three practice committees. Its time limits and sanctions come from the Dentists Act 1984 and from its own rules and guidance. This page sets them out stage by stage, with what to do on day one and how we act for you on fixed fees.
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Day one
When the GDC letter arrives
Do
- Note every date. The GDC's letters set their own deadlines for comments, and the case examiners read what you send.
- Tell your indemnity provider or defence organisation at once. Standard 9.3 also requires you to tell the GDC immediately if you face criminal proceedings.
- Keep the clinical records, radiographs, consent forms and correspondence as they are, and take copies.
- Write a private note of what you remember while it is fresh.
- Speak to us before you reply, agree undertakings or sign anything.
Do not
- Reply to the GDC straight away to explain yourself.
- Contact the patient or the person who raised the concern.
- Change or add to records after the event.
- Discuss the case with colleagues who may become witnesses.
- Post about it online, even in a closed group.
The stages
How a GDC case runs, in the GDC's own terms
Initial assessment and assessment
Rule 3 of the GDC's Fitness to Practise Rules 2006 sets the registrar's first task. The registrar must decide whether a complaint or information amounts to an allegation of impaired fitness to practise. Where it does, rule 4 requires a notification to you with a summary of the allegation. The GDC calls these first two stages initial assessment and assessment. Initial assessment screens every concern, and in assessment caseworkers gather information. Its 2025 statistical report records that assessment took an average of 78 working weeks. Our article on dentists and the GDC sets out the figures.
Case examiners
A clinical case examiner and a lay case examiner consider the case together once your comments are in. The GDC says they decide whether there is a real prospect of three things. These are proof of the allegations, the establishment of a statutory ground and a finding of current impairment. They do not decide whether the allegations are true.
Their outcomes include adjourning for more information, closing the case, a letter of advice and a warning. They can also issue a published warning, agree undertakings with you or refer you to a practice committee. Where they see a serious or immediate risk they refer the matter to the Interim Orders Committee.
The Interim Orders Committee
Section 32 of the Dentists Act 1984 gives this committee, or a practice committee, two powers. It may suspend your registration or impose conditions, in either case for up to 18 months. It must be satisfied that this is necessary for the protection of the public or otherwise in the public interest. An order in your interests is also possible. The committee must review the order within six months, then before the end of each further six months. You can ask for an earlier review once three months have passed. The GDC may ask the court to extend the order by up to 12 months at a time. Its 2025 report gives an average of 19 days from the decision to refer to the first hearing. That leaves little time to prepare.
The practice committee hearing
Hearings take place before the Professional Conduct Committee, the Professional Performance Committee or the Health Committee. The Dental Professionals Hearings Service runs them, and the GDC's January 2026 guidance describes it as independent of the GDC's investigatory function. A committee normally has three members, including at least one dentist and one lay person. It also includes a dental care professional where the registrant is one. The GDC serves the notification of hearing, with the charge, at least 28 days before the hearing. The committee decides the facts on the balance of probabilities, and the GDC bears the burden of proof.
If the committee finds impairment, it may issue a reprimand or impose conditions for up to three years. It may also suspend you for up to 12 months or erase your name. Erasure is not available where impairment rests solely on health grounds. After erasure you cannot seek restoration for five years. To cover the appeal period, the committee may impose immediate conditions or suspension. It may do so where that is necessary to protect the public or in the public interest.
Appeal
Section 29 of the Dentists Act gives you 28 days to appeal to the High Court in England and Wales. The period begins with the date the GDC serves notification of the decision on you. The sanction does not take effect until that period ends or the court decides any appeal. An immediate order, where the committee makes one, is the exception. Appeals run through a regulated law firm we work with, and we stay involved.
How we help
What you can expect from Eloquia
Saqib Khan leads your case from the first letter. A specialist barrister works alongside him from the outset, rather than appearing only once the GDC lists a hearing. We put the most effort in early, because the stage you can still influence is the one that repays preparation. We pair a clear account of the events, set against the records, with evidence of what you have done since. That gives the decision maker a reason to close the case or to choose the least restrictive outcome.
Before each stage starts, we confirm in writing what it covers and what it costs. You then decide whether to go ahead. You deal with the same people throughout. Where a hearing follows, we prepare the evidence, the witness statements and any expert report. We also prepare you to give evidence, and we present your case.
You may also face a police investigation, an inquest or a disciplinary process at work. If so, we run every track as one strategy, so that nothing said in one forum harms you in another.
Fees
The same fixed fee approach as for doctors
We quote a fixed fee for each stage before it starts, in the same way as we do for doctors. Every fee we quote is plus VAT. You pay stage by stage, so you never pay in advance for a hearing that may not happen. We do not act on conditional fee agreements. Our fee menu for GMC cases shows how we price the stages of a doctor's case. We price the stages of your case on the same basis. Has your indemnity provider, union or defence organisation declined to help? Read our page on cover refused or limited.
Each fee is plus VAT and includes a specialist barrister. We involve the barrister from the outset to give you additional support and advice. Fees do not include additional expenses such as expert fees, which we quote separately.
Read at source
The rules and guidance this page draws on
Sources
- Dentists Act 1984, section 29 (appeals)
- GDC: Fitness to Practise, Guidance for the practice committees, version 1.0, 6 January 2026
- Dentists Act 1984, section 32 (interim orders)
- GDC: Case examiners
- General Dental Council (Fitness to Practise) Rules Order of Council 2006
- GDC: Fitness to Practise Statistical Report 2025
- GDC: Standards for the Dental Team (standard 9.3)
Questions and answers
Questions dental professionals ask
What do GDC case examiners decide?
A clinical and a lay case examiner decide whether there is a real prospect of three things. These are proof of the allegations, the establishment of a statutory ground and a finding of current impairment. They can adjourn, close the case, issue a letter of advice or issue a warning. They can also ask you to agree undertakings or refer you to a practice committee. Our article on dentists and the GDC explains the stage in full.
How long can a GDC interim order last?
Up to 18 months under section 32 of the Dentists Act 1984. The committee must review it within six months and then before the end of each further six months. You can ask for an earlier review once three months have passed. The GDC can apply to the court to extend the order by up to 12 months at a time.
Which committee hears a GDC case?
One of three practice committees: the Professional Conduct Committee, the Professional Performance Committee or the Health Committee. The nature of the concern decides which, and that affects the evidence you need. A committee normally has three members, including at least one dentist and one lay person. Where the registrant is a dental care professional, the committee includes one too.
What sanctions can a GDC practice committee impose?
A reprimand, conditions on your registration for up to three years, suspension for up to 12 months or erasure. Erasure is not available where impairment rests solely on health grounds. A registrant erased from the register cannot apply for restoration for five years. The committee may also impose an immediate order to cover the appeal period.
How long do I have to appeal a GDC decision?
Section 29 of the Dentists Act 1984 gives you 28 days to appeal. The period begins with the date the GDC serves notification of the decision on you. Your appeal goes to the High Court in England and Wales. Unless the committee made an immediate order, the sanction waits until the period ends or the court decides the appeal.
Does Eloquia act for dentists on fixed fees?
Yes. We quote a fixed fee for each stage before it starts, and every fee is plus VAT. Each fee includes a specialist barrister from the outset. We quote expert fees separately. Our fees and funding page explains how staged payment works.
More answers sit on our questions and answers page, and our glossary explains the terms regulators use.
Read more
Guides on this subject
Other professions
Dentists and the GDC: how the process differs
How the GDC fitness to practise process differs, with four stages and its own committees. What its 2025 figures show.
The GMC process
Insight and remediation: what tribunals look for and how to evidence it
How the GMC and the MPTS define insight and remediation, and how to build evidence of both from the start.
The GMC process
Health cases: when the concern is your own health
How a GMC health case works, from the health assessment to undertakings, and what stays confidential.
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