GDC Referral: Who Can Report a Dentist and What Happens Next

What Is a GDC Referral?

A GDC referral is the formal submission of a concern about a dentist or dental care professional to the General Dental Council for assessment. The GDC regulates all dental professionals in the UK and has a statutory duty to investigate concerns that may impair a registrant's fitness to practise.

When a GDC referral is received, the GDC assesses whether the concern falls within its fitness to practise remit. Not every complaint about a dentist meets the GDC threshold — concerns about fees, waiting times, or minor communication issues are typically directed to the Dental Complaints Service or NHS complaints procedures instead. Concerns that could indicate impaired fitness to practise proceed to formal investigation.

The GDC fitness to practise process is governed by the Dentists Act 1984 and the GDC's procedural rules. The process from initial referral through to a potential GDC fitness to practise hearing involves several distinct stages, each with its own rules and outcomes.

Who Can Refer a Dentist to the GDC?

The GDC accepts referrals from a wide range of individuals and organisations. Around 94% of GDC fitness to practise cases are generated by referrals from outside the GDC. Common sources of GDC referrals include:

• Patients and members of the public — the most common source of GDC referrals, including complaints about clinical treatment, record keeping, consent, and conduct
• Dental employers and practice owners — who have an obligation to report serious concerns about employees or associates to the GDC under the GDC's Standards for the Dental Team
• NHS England and NHS commissioners — particularly where concerns arise through NHS performers list processes or NHS fraud investigations
• Fellow dental team members and other healthcare professionals — who have a professional duty to raise concerns about colleagues where patient safety is at risk
• The police — following a criminal charge or conviction that may affect fitness to practise
• Other regulators — including the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which inspects dental practices and can flag serious concerns to the GDC
• Coroners — following an inquest where a dental professional's conduct or care may have contributed to a death
• The GDC itself — where information comes to light through other regulatory processes or media reports

Dentists can also make a self-referral to the GDC where they believe a concern about their own fitness to practise ought to be disclosed — for example, following a health diagnosis, a criminal charge, or a serious patient safety incident. Proactive self-referral is viewed positively by the GDC as evidence of insight and professional integrity.

What Types of Concern Lead to a GDC Referral?

The GDC accepts referrals about concerns that could impair a dentist's fitness to practise. The most common grounds for GDC referral include:

• Substandard clinical treatment — repeated clinical failures, inadequate diagnosis, poor treatment planning or execution
• Inadequate record keeping — missing or falsified clinical records, failure to document consent or treatment decisions
• Failure to obtain informed consent — treating patients without explaining risks, options, or alternatives
• Dishonesty and probity concerns — fraud, misrepresentation to patients, employers or the NHS, false claims
• Boundary violations and sexual misconduct — which the GDC treats with the highest seriousness under its updated 2026 guidance
• Health concerns — where a physical or mental health condition may affect the ability to practise safely
• Criminal convictions — particularly those involving dishonesty, violence, or conduct incompatible with public trust
• Unprofessional conduct — persistent rudeness, harassment, discrimination, or conduct bringing the profession into disrepute

The GDC Triage and Initial Inquiry Process

When a GDC referral is received, it is assessed at triage to determine whether the concern falls within the GDC's fitness to practise remit. Concerns that do not meet the threshold are closed — the complainant may be directed to the Dental Complaints Service, NHS complaints procedures, or other appropriate routes.

Concerns that do meet the threshold proceed to formal investigation. Since November 2024 the GDC has operated a permanent initial inquiry process for lower-level concerns. Expanded in July 2025 to include isolated reports of alleged low-level misconduct such as perceived rudeness or abruptness, the initial inquiry process enables faster resolution without a full investigation. It does not apply where the GDC holds information suggesting a pattern of behaviour or where the alleged conduct is more serious.

For concerns that proceed to full investigation, the GDC gathers evidence including clinical records, the complainant's account, any relevant third-party reports, and a clinical adviser's assessment where appropriate. The registrant is invited to provide their observations on the allegations at this stage — this is a critical opportunity to engage and should never be ignored.

The Case Examiner Stage

Following investigation, the evidence is reviewed by two case examiners — one registered dental professional and one lay person. Case examiners sit at a critical point in the GDC process, assessing whether there is a real prospect that a practice committee would find the registrant's fitness to practise impaired.

The three-part test case examiners apply is: whether there is a real prospect of the facts being proved on the balance of probabilities; whether, if proved, those facts amount to a ground of impairment such as misconduct or deficient professional performance; and whether there is a real prospect of a practice committee finding current impairment. Around 32% of GDC cases progress to case examiners — a significantly higher proportion than the equivalent rate at the GMC.

Case examiners can take the following decisions:

1. No further action — the case does not meet the threshold and is closed
2. Advice — written advice to the registrant about their practice or conduct, not published on the register
3. Warning — a formal warning recorded on the public register for 12 months, warning of the risk of future regulatory action
4. Undertakings — voluntary but binding conditions agreed with the registrant, recorded on the public register, covering CPD, supervision, or practice restrictions
5. Referral to a practice committee — for a full fitness to practise hearing where sanctions including GDC suspension or erasure may be imposed

The case examiner stage is not a formality. Dentists who submit a strong, reflective response demonstrating genuine insight and early remediation give case examiners the basis to resolve the case without referral to a practice committee hearing.

What to Do Immediately After Receiving a GDC Referral

The actions a dentist takes in the hours and days after receiving GDC correspondence can significantly affect the outcome of the process. Early, proactive steps demonstrate engagement and professionalism — two qualities the GDC looks for throughout the fitness to practise process.

1. Contact your defence organisation immediately — call Dental Protection, the BDA, or MDDUS the same day. Do not respond to the GDC without taking advice first
2. Do not contact the complainant — any contact with the person who has raised the concern can be misinterpreted as an attempt to influence their account and will be reported to the GDC
3. Preserve all records — gather clinical records, consent documentation, correspondence, and any other relevant materials. Do not alter any records under any circumstances
4. Begin your reflective process — start thinking about what happened, why it happened, and what you have done or can do to address it. Early remediation is viewed positively at every stage
5. Complete relevant CPD — targeted CPD addressing the specific concerns raised demonstrates proactive engagement and strengthens any response submitted to the GDC
6. Respond to GDC correspondence within deadlines — non-engagement is treated seriously and can lead to escalation. Even if you are gathering evidence, acknowledge correspondence and request an extension if needed

Anonymous GDC Referrals

The GDC accepts anonymous referrals. However, anonymous concerns are more difficult to investigate because the GDC cannot obtain further information from an unidentified complainant. Where there is no corroborating evidence, the weight given to an anonymous concern may be limited. The GDC will still assess whether an anonymous referral meets the fitness to practise threshold and, if so, whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed.

Dentists who suspect an anonymous referral has been made out of malice or bad faith should raise this with their defence organisation. The GDC's process includes safeguards to ensure that anonymous complaints are handled fairly, but these concerns are best communicated through legal advice rather than directly.

International Dentists and Cross-Border GDC Referrals

The GDC receives referrals about dentists who trained or practised overseas, and GDC findings can be shared with overseas regulators under information-sharing protocols. For dentists practising across multiple jurisdictions, ethics training aligned with GDC standards is an important part of professional practice. UK dentists seeking to strengthen their ethical foundations can access relevant training through Healthcare Ethics Courses, which offers courses aligned with GDC professional standards. Dentists based in the United States will find similar ethics training for US dentists a useful resource for understanding professional standards across jurisdictions. Those with connections to Canada can explore equivalent professional development for dentists in Canada to compare how regulatory expectations are framed internationally.

CPD Courses for Dentists Who Have Received a GDC Referral

CPD Courses for GDC Referral Remediation

CPD Certified • Instant certificate • Evidence for your GDC response

1,000+

Professionals Trained

100%

Online

CPD CertifiedCertified by The CPD Certification Service

Courses for Dentists

• ✓ Ethics and Ethical Standards for Dentists Enrol Now →
• ✓ Probity for Healthcare Professionals Enrol Now →
• ✓ How to Ensure a Mistake Will Not Be Repeated Enrol Now →
• ✓ Professional Ethics Course Enrol Now →

Courses by Regulator

• ✓ Courses for Doctors (GMC) Enrol Now →
• ✓ Courses for Nurses (NMC) Enrol Now →
• ✓ Courses for Dentists (GDC) Enrol Now →
• ✓ Courses for Pharmacists (GPhC) Enrol Now →
• ✓ Courses for Health Professionals (HCPC) Enrol Now →
• ✓ Courses for Opticians & Osteopaths Enrol Now →

Bulk Buy: Any 10 Courses for £500 → View All Courses →

Frequently Asked Questions