Overseas Dentists

To practice in the UK dentist must

• register with the General Dental Council (GDC)
• have the relevant right to work in the UK. Non EEA dentist must be aware of current work permit legislation for working in the UK.
• sit the relevant exam. EEA (European Economic Area) dentists are exempt from sitting the GDC international Qualifying Examination providing they hold a recognised qualification from a dental school in an EEA country. Dentist who have qualified outside the EEA zone will need to present evidence of their undergraduate degree and have passed a recognised English Language examine, in addition they may have to sit the International Qualifying Examination. This is based on written, oral and practical skills.
• The overseas dentist would need to obtain medical indemnity cover from a medical defence union. Once the dentist is a member of a medical defence union they will issue a certificate of insurance and the dentist can then start to apply for dental work.
• Once the dentist has an offer of work they will have to register with the local Primary Care Trust (PCT). There are currently 152 PCTs in England. Your PCT will work with local authorities and other agencies that provide health and social care locally to make sure that your local community's needs are being met.

To apply the dentist will need to send in their GDC & Medical Indemnity certificate. References and administer a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check will then be made, also assess your language proficiency.

Every PCT has variations in their registration procedures.

For further detailed information on criteria and fees please go to  http://www.gdc-uk.org