Scope of practice is the range of treatments a GDC-registered dental professional is trained, competent and indemnified to perform. This free checker covers all seven registrant titles — dentist, dental therapist, dental hygienist, dental nurse, dental technician, clinical dental technician and orthodontic therapist — showing what each may and may not do, plus direct access, prescribing and medicines-exemption rules.
| Procedure | Dentist | Dental Therapist | Dental Hygienist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical examination | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Diagnosis of dental disease | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Take radiographs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scale and polish | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subgingival scaling / root surface debridement | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fluoride varnish | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fissure sealants | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Local anaesthetic — inferior dental block | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Direct restoration — permanent teeth (fillings) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Pulpotomy — primary teeth | Yes | Yes | No |
| Extraction — primary teeth | Yes | Yes | No |
| Extraction — permanent teeth | Yes | No | No |
| Root canal treatment (permanent) | Yes | No | No |
The revised GDC Guidance on Scope of Practice took effect on 1 November 2025. It moved away from fixed task lists towards a competency- and role-based approach that emphasises professional judgement within existing boundaries. Crucially, the revision did not change the scope boundaries of any of the seven titles — what each may and may not do is unchanged. A registrant must still be trained, competent and indemnified for every task they perform.
Direct access (introduced 1 May 2013) lets dental hygienists and dental therapists see patients without a dentist's referral or prescription, for any treatment within their scope — the one exception being tooth whitening, which still needs a dentist prescription with the first treatment supervised. Dental nurses and orthodontic therapists do not have general direct access. No dental care professional can prescribe medicines, but since 26 June 2024 the Human Medicines (Amendments relating to Registered Dental Hygienists, Registered Dental Therapists and Registered Pharmacy Technicians) Regulations 2024 let hygienists and therapists supply and administer local anaesthetics and high-strength fluoride preparations under exemptions, without a PSD or PGD. These exemptions do not apply to dental nurses.
No. Placing restorations (fillings) is outside the dental hygienist scope of practice — hygienists do not restore teeth. Direct restorations on both permanent and primary teeth fall to dental therapists and dentists. A hygienist can place temporary dressings and re-cement a crown with temporary cement, but not a permanent restoration.
Dental therapists combine the dental hygienist skill set with additional restorative and paediatric work. They can carry out direct restorations on both permanent and primary teeth, place preformed crowns and perform pulpotomies on primary teeth, extract primary (deciduous) teeth, scale and provide periodontal treatment, take and report radiographs, and administer local anaesthetic. They have had full direct access since 2013 (tooth whitening still requires a dentist prescription with the first treatment supervised). Endodontics on permanent teeth, extraction of permanent teeth, and indirect restorations remain outside scope.
Yes, but only as an additional skill with specific training (for example the NEBDN Certificate in Dental Radiography). A dental nurse acts as the IR(ME)R operator under a prescription from an IR(ME)R practitioner — they cannot justify (prescribe) the exposure themselves, and they cannot report on or interpret radiographs for diagnosis. Preparing equipment and processing radiographs is a core dental nurse skill that needs no extra qualification.
The revised GDC Guidance on Scope of Practice took effect on 1 November 2025. It replaced the old fixed task lists with a competency- and role-based approach that emphasises professional judgement, but it did not change the scope boundaries for any of the seven registrant titles. What each title may and may not do is unchanged; the registrant must still be trained, competent and indemnified for every task they carry out.
Reference only — verify against the current GDC Scope of Practice guidance. Not clinical or regulatory advice. Scope also depends on your individual training, competence and indemnity.
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