Laboratory’s Matt Everatt explores what the General Dental Council’s (GDC) response to his Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request means for the world of dental technology.
In May 2025, I submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the General Dental Council (GDC) after months of silence following an earlier joint inquiry from myself and colleagues involved with Dentistry and Laboratory publications.
Back in June 2024, we wrote directly to the GDC requesting a clear and factual policy statement to clarify several important points affecting how dental technicians are regulated, and about the legal framework in which custom made dental devices should be manufactured. We asked for straightforward guidance on:
- The legal status of dental technicians
- The GDC’s approach to illegal activity in the context of fitness to practise proceeding
- The GDC’s stance on education and training of dental professionals in relation to the legal manufacturing of custom made dental devices.
No grey areas
The request was made in a format that would allow us to make a statement of fact. This was deliberate. We wanted something dental technicians could refer to with confidence. No interpretation needed. No grey areas.
Our request was shared with the Dental Technologists Association (DTA), the Dental Laboratories Association (DLA), and the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). The DLA said they had received survey results from over…
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