CPD
CPD for Dental Nurses: GDC Requirements and Free Verifiable CPD
Every dental nurse registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) must complete at least 50 hours of verifiable CPD in each five-year cycle, with at least 10 hours in every two consecutive years. You also need a personal development plan, and you must make a CPD statement to the GDC every year, even in a year when you completed no hours. Dental Nurse Network offers free verifiable CPD and low-cost bundles that cover the GDC's highly recommended topics, each with a downloadable certificate for your GDC record.
All our CPD is on the Dental Nurse Network Learning Academy. Every course, free or paid, is taken online through the Academy, where you enrol, learn at your own pace and download your certificate.
Click here to purchase the Get Back on the Register CPD bundle
Have a look at how it worksClick here to view all our current free CPD
GDC CPD requirements for dental nurses at a glance
| Requirement | What it means |
|---|---|
| 50 hours of verifiable CPD | Completed across each five-year cycle |
| At least 10 hours every two years | You cannot have two CPD years in a row with no hours |
| Annual CPD statement | Made on eGDC every year, even if you completed no hours, within 28 days of your CPD year ending |
| Personal development plan (PDP) | Sets out the CPD you plan to do, why, and when |
| Records kept | Your CPD record and certificates, kept for the whole cycle and for five years after it ends |
For dental nurses, the first cycle usually starts on 1 August after you first join the register, and every cycle lasts five years.
The GDC's highly recommended topics
The GDC recommends some topics for every registrant. They are not compulsory, but they are a sensible starting point for your PDP.
| Topic | GDC recommendation |
|---|---|
| Medical emergencies | At least 10 hours per cycle, with at least 2 hours every year |
| Disinfection and decontamination | At least 5 hours per cycle |
| Radiography and radiation protection | At least 5 hours per cycle, if you take or process radiographs |
The GDC also recommends CPD in legal and ethical issues, complaints handling, early detection of oral cancer, and safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Linking your CPD to development outcomes
Every piece of verifiable CPD should be linked to at least one of the GDC's four development outcomes:
- A: communicating effectively with patients and colleagues, including consent, complaints and raising concerns
- B: managing yourself and others well, working as a team and leading where appropriate
- C: keeping your knowledge and skills up to date in your area of practice
- D: keeping the skills, behaviours and attitudes that maintain patients' trust and put their interests first
Planning your CPD with a PDP
Your PDP lists the CPD you intend to do, the development outcome each activity supports, and roughly when you will do it. It is for your own use, so it does not need sending to the GDC, but it is worth reviewing every year.
What makes CPD verifiable
For CPD to count as verifiable, your certificate or evidence needs to show the subject, the learning content and aims, the development outcomes, the date, the number of hours, your name, and who quality assured it. Breaks and travel time do not count towards your hours. Dental Nurse Network Academy courses give you a downloadable certificate for your GDC record.
Browse our CPD
- Free CPD
- Get back on the GDC register
- Medical emergencies CPD
- Radiography and radiation protection CPD
- Oral health education CPD
- All CPD courses and bundles on the Academy
How Dental Nurse Network CPD works
All our CPD is taken online on the Dental Nurse Network Learning Academy. You enrol online and get instant access, with twelve months to complete each course. When you finish, you download your certificate for your CPD record. If you are not sure what you need for your cycle, get in touch and the team will point you in the right direction.
FAQs
At least 50 hours of verifiable CPD in each five-year cycle, with at least 10 hours in every two consecutive years.