The General Dental Council (GDC) has celebrated its golden anniversary which marked 50 years since the GDC's first meeting on 4 July 1956 when Sir Wilfred Fish was elected President.

To mark the occasion, Dame Janet Smith delivered the biennial Wilfred Fish lecture on the subject of 'Where now for the regulators?'. In her speech Dame Janet spoke about regulation following the Shipman case and other medical scandals. In addition she reviewed the objectives of regulatory bodies and suggested functions for all regulators.

Commenting on the 50th anniversary GDC President, Hew Mathewson, said, “I am delighted to be the President of the GDC in its golden anniversary year. Those 50 years have seen an astonishing amount of change, not simply in the work of the average dentist but also in the size of the team as a whole and in the roles of the team. This summer's opening of a statutory register for dental nurses, technicians, and other dental care professionals will herald a period of further change, including the addition of an estimated 40,000 registered professionals to the workforce. I am confident that the practice of dentistry in the UK will continue to develop in a vibrant and forward looking way.” The Wilfred Fish lectures take place every two years and were founded in honour of the first President of the GDC, Sir Wilfred Fish, who was elected to the Dental Board of the United Kingdom in 1939.