The 2018/19 Patient and Public Survey has reported that whilst 73% of the general public believe the General Dental Council is regulating dental professionals well, 64% of those from ethnic minorities were less enthusiastic about their regulatory effectiveness versus 74% from white backgrounds with the top two reasons being bad dental care experience and not knowing that professionals in the industry are regulated. Just 7% of those surveyed thought the GDC should take action, and only when the seriousness of a complaint really warranted it, with 22% of the opinion prevention is better than action. 65% preferred a balanced approach to regulation. The survey also shows that as people pay for treatment, 39% of respondents expected more from dentists than other healthcare professionals.

“GDC advised to focus on prevention rather than action. “

Head of regulatory intelligence at GDC, David Teeman, said: “We undertake this regular research primarily to ensure we have a good understanding of current public attitudes in relation to our work. But, the survey’s scope is very broad and is, therefore, highly relevant to anyone who works in dentistry, so I’d really encourage everyone to take a look at the results. It is encouraging that overall, almost three quarters of the public are confident in GDC regulation of dental professionals. ‘This also supports the GDC’s focus on preventing bad practice upstream as well as taking action for serious issues.”