The General Dental Council (GDC) has this week published its updated decision-making guidance in a bid to reduce fear among registrants.
The regulator said it comes as part of its ongoing work to improve fitness to practise processes and increase transparency.
Coming into effect from 6 January 2026, it follows a 12-week consultation held by the GDC.
The updated guidance includes improvements to the impairment sections – particularly public interest impairment findings – and instances where practice committees may consider findings on the grounds of public interest. The conflict of interest section now includes bias and the difference between the two.
Fitness to practise changes
New sections have been added covering discrimination and harassment, special measures to support vulnerable witnesses, and reasonable adjustments for registrants and witnesses involved in hearings.
The guidance also places greater emphasis on the seriousness of sexual misconduct and discrimination cases, and makes clear that sexual misconduct involving members of the dental team is as serious as cases involving patients.
Independent panellists on practice committees – which include the professional conduct committee, professional performance committee and health committee – decide whether a dental professional’s fitness to practise is currently impaired.
Although primarily for practice committee panellists who make decisions on whether a dental professional’s fitness to practise is currently impaired, the guidance is also relevant for registrants and their representatives at fitness to practise hearings, the regulator says.
The guidance can be found here.
Mental health in dentistry
Tom Whiting, chief executive and registrar at the GDC, said: ‘We know that fitness to practise investigations can take too long and feel overly complex, often leading to a fear of the process and of the GDC. As a result, it can negatively impact the mental health and wellbeing of those involved.
‘By supporting consistent, transparent and proportionate decision-making through this updated guidance, we aim to reduce some of the negative impacts of fitness to practise investigations.’
