‘Modern techniques, evolving technologies, and future role expansion’ – Cat Edney considers the impact of changes to the General Dental Council’s (GDC) scope of practice guidance for dental therapists.
When I first delved into the GDC’s 2025 Scope of Practice document and the accompanying Consultation Outcome Report, I held my breath for change. What I found instead was a careful recalibration: a framework that claims no real shift in scope, but instead introduces some subtleties that could reshape what dental therapists actually do in the clinic.
Many have welcomed the renewed focus on judgement, boundaries, and role clarity. The GDC says that the revised guidance is intended ‘to better support dental professionals in using their judgement’ and to clarify role boundaries within the team. It is a shift from the old lists of tasks, which could be considered rigid, easily misinterpreted, or outdated. The new model aspires to be flexible and supportive for modern practice.
But I do believe that language is powerful. While the GDC insists there is no change to scope, the document embeds some more prescriptive constraints, especially for dental therapists. What wasn’t emphasised in public statements is that the new guidance now explicitly prohibits therapists from engaging in orthodontic treatment and from treating adult pulp. Those ‘you cannot do’ clauses are subtle footnotes in the text, but will carry weight in many practices.
Subtle comparisons
The 2013 scope permitted therapists to perform restorative, preventive, and limited operative tasks given training and competence – though interpretation varied and not all tasks were enumerated.
While the 2025 guidance retains that base, it also draws stronger boundaries: no part of orthodontics, no adult pulp treatment. The absence of those constraints from public messaging is concerning: these restrictions are not peripheral footnotes.
Why these clarifications matter
- Patient care continuity: if a pulp is inadvertently exposed during treatment, is a therapist now forced to stop and refer? This could fragment care and undermine patient confidence in the clinician delivering their treatment. Questions are being asked – what happened to indirect or direct pulp capping? Why has this subtly been removed from scope, and was this debated at all?
- Team conservatism: with ambiguous wording and new prohibitions, some referring dentists may adopt overly cautious interpretations that push therapists into narrower roles than before, limiting workflow and innovation. How small will a cavity need to be to avoid risking any pulp involvement? Where do you draw the line?
- A bigger burden placed on judgement: the reliance on professional judgement is being emphasised more than ever. But judgement without clear training, mentorship, alignment and understanding from indemnity organisations, and inter-professional support can be a risky position to stand in.
Foundation for growth
That said, I see promise. The pivot away from rigid task lists could open doors for modern techniques, evolving technologies, and future role expansion, if we advocate intelligently.
The GDC’s efforts to clarify professional roles can be viewed as a foundation for future growth, rather than a restriction. However, the profession must remain watchful. As therapists, I believe there are lessons we should take forward:
- Document competence meticulously. Training certificates, peer reviews, mentor sign-offs, portfolios – make your case for every task that is not obviously named. When you act on professional judgement, record your reasoning
- Engage in interpretation and consensus building locally. Use these new guidelines to prompt protocol reviews in practices. Push for shared definitions rather than leaving ambiguity
- Be vocal in regulatory discourse. The outcome report shows GDC heard stakeholder voices. If you believe exclusions are excessive, did you engage with your representative associations during the consultation phase? The GDC are holding free webinars to cover questions asked for each registrant type – have you got your questions ready?
- Support each other as a profession. Therapists across the UK must share how they interpret, negotiate, and push boundaries – creating a body of peer-informed evidence about safe, effective practice under the new scope.
A pivotal moment
While the revised Scope of Practice may not be perfect, it does mark a bit of a pivotal moment: now could be time for dental therapists to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how much influence we have in shaping our collective future. The GDC and its new chair, Dr Helen Phillips, has signalled a willingness to listen, and this period of transition offers an opportunity for even more collaboration between the regulator and the profession.
If we as clinicians continue to demonstrate safe, effective, and forward-thinking care – grounded in evidence, collaboration, and focused on patient outcomes – the direction of travel can only be positive. This is a time for dental therapists to step forward, seek out clarity, and embody what it means to be a truly modern therapist: confident in our scope, in tune about our purpose, and ready to help define the next chapter of dental care in the UK.
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