Dental technicians need to complete a minimum of 50 hours of verifiable CPD every five years. Clinical dental technicians need to complete a minimum of 75 hours of verifiable CPD.

As a dental professional, you will need to complete a minimum of 10 hours of verifiable CPD every two consecutive years. Even if you have not completed any CPD hours in any given year, you still need to make an annual CPD statement to declare zero hours.

When you declare your CPD hours to the GDC you do not need to submit your CPD certificates but you will need to retain them all and keep them in a safe place in case the GDC request that you submit them. We recommend that you print your log book and all your certificates at the end of each year.

The DTA editorial team are working diligently to ensure that the DTA's free-to-members CPD meets the GDC's quality criteria (listed below). We offer our members over 20 hours of verifiable CPD each year that provides lifelong learning specific to dental technicians' needs and including core subjects. Find out more about the DTA CPD.

You can find more details on the DTA's CPD Position Statement on a tab below.

CPD For Members   

It is a requirement of a dental care professional to have a PDP to plan CPD activity according to your field(s) of practice. DTA provide all members with a template for a personal development plan to update within the members' area.

Within your PDP you need to indicate your field of practice e.g. prosthetics, crown and bridge, orthodontics etc. Your field of practice is likely to be broader than your scope of practice as indicated in the GDC booklet. For example, you may also have management, mentoring or other business activities that your PDP can reflect.

When CPD activity is completed on the DTA website, it automatically saves in your log book with your reflection making it a simple process for members to align CPD activity with a GDC development outcomes. Login  to view and update your PDP and log book now.

Reflection is a big part of the GDC's Enhanced CPD and with the 2018 changes, we developed the CPD area to make it easy for members to reflect on their CPD activity as they go. In 2018 we introduced two tick box questions for reflection at the end of every CPD activity and have since added a further four open questions to help you reflect on what you have just learnt, your personal experience and how this applies to your field of practice. If you complete these questions at the time of doing your CPD, your reflection will be uploaded to your individual CPD certificate and will be automatically transferred into your DTA log book.

GDC's plan, do, reflect, record model encourages you to proactively think about your professional needs, field of practice and the standards for the dental team before deciding on the right CPD activity for you. In this way, the GDC believes the activity will become more meaningful and relevant to the areas that you feel need to be maintained and built upon.

PLAN

The personal development plan (PDP) is used to help identify CPD needs for the cycle. Registrants will create a plan for maintaining and developing their skills and knowledge within their field of practice, and how this relates to the GDC's learning outcomes.

DO

Registrants will identify the verifiable CPD activity that best meets the needs set out in their PDP, and then complete CPD activity consistently throughout their cycle. Registrants might find that their field of practice or needs change, and adjust their plan and activity accordingly.

REFLECT

Reflection is an important process for registrants to evaluate the impact of CPD activity on meeting their needs for maintenance and development. Taking some time to review and reflect on their activities allows them to assess what benefits have been gained and how they have implemented learning.

RECORD

Registrants need record what CPD activity they have completed. A complete CPD record includes the log of activity with learning outcomes mapped to each activity, the personal development plan, and the evidence collected

To find out more visit the GDC website   .

The DTA attended various GDC workshops including 'Exploring ideas for the future development of CPD' and have issued the below position statement:

The DTA consider that the existing ECPD framework works relatively well.

The GDC 'Recommended Topics' although not compulsory provide our members with useful guidance. They also offer Dental Technologists a useful opportunity to undertake CPD with Dentists and other DCP groups, reinforcing the concept of the modern patient centric Dental Team.

The GDC 'Development Outcomes' also provide Dental Technologists with useful guidance when formulating their Personal Development Plan (PDP).

The combination of a 'qualitative' PDP and 'quantitative' log of hours provides a balanced compromise. It also allows DTA members to record and understand where they stand in relation to ECPD compliance. Although we appreciate the logic of changing 'hours' to 'credits' as the unit of measure.

The DTA provides high quality CPD to its members via The Technologist journal, Articulate newsletter and You Tube channel. This CPD is assessed interactively on the members' section of the DTA website, where there is the opportunity to add reflection and log CPD. The DTA also provides members with an interactive PDP template.

The DTA are however concerned that there are some CPD providers that do not offer sufficient rigor and in our opinion are not compliant with the existing ECPD regulations. The GDC has set quality criteria for CPD providers but does not seem to monitor such providers this leaves registrants in a compromised position. The DTA seeks to highlight this to members and encourages all Dental Technologists to become members of their professional association to help safeguard their registration.

The DTA does not favour change for the sake of change, particularly given the relative newness of ECPD. The DTA is also concerned that CPD compliance must be affordable and accessible to its members. However, the DTA will always work with regulators and stakeholders to incrementally improve the quality of CPD and the professionalism of its Dental Technologist members and wider Dental Team.

Read the full GDC Executive Statement here. 

The DTA see benefit in broadening the dental technician Scope of Practice and specifically shared this view during consultations with the GDC. 

The GDC recently published the Scope of Practice Research Report  which represents the first step in a wide review they are conducting on the Scope of Practice. The next phase of the review will seek to re-evaluate the purpose of the Scope of Practice - why it is needed and how it protects patients. Following which they will consider what format the document should take so that it is best able to serve its purpose.

The DTA will continue to participate in the review and represent the needs of dental technicians. Click to watch the GDC video  examining the findings of their research.

The DTA offer our members over 20 hours of verifiable CPD each year via our journals, The Technologist and Articulate. However, we recognise that members will also gain CPD from other providers such as events and workshops.

Therefore, we have developed the log book so that members can upload certificates and add reflection. However, it is the members responsibility to ensure that any CPD certificate (physical or electronic) that you gain from a CPD provider shows the details to be accepted by the GDC:

• The subject, learning content, aims and objectives
• The anticipated GDC development outcomes of the CPD
• The date(s) that the CPD was undertaken
• The total number of hours of CPD undertaken
• The name of the professional who has participated in the CPD activity
• That the CPD is subject to quality assurance, with

• the name of the person or body providing the quality assurance
• Confirmation from the provider that the information contained in it is full and accurate
• It should also include the participant's GDC registration number

Effective communication with patients, the dental team, and others across dentistry, including when obtaining consent, dealing with complaints, and raising concerns when patients are at risk. Example of CPD Content:

• Communication
• Consent
• Complaints handling
• Raising concerns
• Safeguarding

Effective management of self, and effective management of others or effective work with others in the dental team, in the interests of patients; providing constructive leadership where appropriate. Example of CPD Content:

• Effective practice management
• Business management
• Team working
• Leadership skills

Maintenance and development of knowledge and skill within your field of practice. Example of CPD Content:

• Clinical and technical areas of study
• Radiography
• Cross infection control
• Medical emergencies and CPR
• Emerging technologies and treatments
• CPD on quality assurance for MHRA
• CPD specific for daily role(s)
• Upskilling opportunities

Maintenance of skills, behaviours and attitudes which maintain patient confidence in you and the dental profession and put patients' interests first. Example of CPD Content

• Ethical and legal issues and developments
• Professional behaviours
• Equality and diversity training

From only £74.40 per year, exclusive to DTA members and to meet GDC requirements:

• £4,000,000 Professional Indemnity
• £4,000,000 Public / Products Liability
• £100,000 Disciplinary Hearing Defence Cost
• £100,000 Tax/VAT Investigation Expenses

Register with the DTA to apply 

From £304

• Comprehensive Business Insurance
• Highly Competitive Premiums
• Award Winning Service
• Personal Liability Cover for Employed Technicians
• Optional Indemnity Insurance