Professionalism and Professional Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals

About this course

Professionalism in dentistry is about how the whole dental team behaves: how patients are treated, how team members work together, how complaints are handled, how concerns are raised, how professionals keep their skills up to date, and how they conduct themselves outside the surgery and online. It is judged by patients, colleagues, employers, commissioners and the General Dental Council.

This course focuses on the practical side of professionalism for the dental team. It covers the core principles, the GDC's Standards for the dental team with emphasis on complaints, teamwork, raising concerns, enhanced CPD and personal behaviour, the dental team's scope of practice, practice governance and indemnity, boundaries, breaches and remediation. It complements the companion course on dental ethics, which focuses on ethical principles, consent, cosmetic treatment and fees.

CPD Value and How to Record It:

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

• Explain what professionalism means for every member of the dental team.
• Apply the core principles of professional practice in dental settings.
• Describe the GDC's Standards, with emphasis on complaints, teamwork, raising concerns, CPD and personal behaviour.
• Work within the Scope of practice, including direct access.
• Meet enhanced CPD, indemnity and practice governance requirements.
• Maintain professional boundaries in and outside the practice.
• Recognise breaches and plan effective remediation.

Who this course is for

Dentists, dental nurses, hygienists, therapists, technicians, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists registered with the GDC, including practice owners and managers.

Course content

8 sections · 2 CPD hours · 15 MCQs

Course facts

CPD value

Approximately 2 CPD hours (estimated learning time, including reflection and assessment); supports GDC development outcomes B and D

Format

Self-paced reading with dental team case illustrations, reflection points and a written reflective account

Standards covered

GDC Standards for the dental team (nine principles); enhanced CPD scheme; Scope of practice and direct access; complaints handling and the Dental Complaints Service; raising concerns; indemnity; GDC's 2026 Framework for Professionalism consultation

Assessment

15 scenario-based multiple-choice questions; pass mark 12 out of 15 (80%)

Questions about this course