All dental professionals working in Dental Services in England must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC).
To work and claim activity against an NHS contract, those registered with the GDC as dentists only must be on the Dental clinicians list for England.
Those registered with the GDC as a dentist and a Dental Care Professional (DCP) with dual registration must be on the clinicians list if they want to work as a dentist within NHS primary Dental Services.
Those registered with the GDC as a dentist and as a DCP with dual registration who are not on the clinicians list, can only work as a DCP within NHS primary Dental Services.
DCPs can include their GDC number and role on the FP17 form when they've delivered part of a shared course of treatment (CoT).
Dental therapists and dental hygienists can also open and close a CoT which is within their scope of practice.
From 1 April 2026, dental nurses can apply a fluoride varnish to children aged 16 and under. The dental nurse will be awarded with 0.5 units of dental activity (UDA) for each treatment.