GDC comes under criticism at health select committee hearing

The General Dental Council (GDC) has come under scrutiny at a Health Select Committee accountability hearing, during which a number of its recent failings were highlighted.

During the meeting, the under-fire regulator was asked about efforts to improve its fitness to practise processes, reasons behind the controversial increase in the annual retention fee for dentists in 2015, and potential benefits arising from any future legislative change.

Additionally, the GDC was confronted with written evidence from the Professional Standards Authority that described the organisation as worse than seven of the eight professional regulators it oversees.

GDC chair Bill Moyes concluded the hearing by welcoming the opportunity for more regular hearings and greater scrutiny – a sentiment echoed by the British Dental Association (BDA), which has been vocally critical of the GDC's performance in recent months.

Mick Armstrong, chair of the BDA's principal executive committee, said: "It is essential now for both patients and practitioners that the GDC is held to account on a regular basis. A one-off will not bring a troubled regulator back from the brink."