The General Dental Council (GDC) has confirmed the registration fee levels for 2007. The fees for 2007 will be £420 for retention, £420 for temporary registration (first and renewal), £35 per month from the month of application for first registration (£250 for Oral Surgery and Orthodontics lists only) and £105 for restoration. According to the GDC, the new levels will mean a below inflation annual retention fee (ARF) increase of £11 (2.7 per cent) for dentists.

GDC President Hew Mathewson said, “The GDC is funded entirely by registrants' fees. The Council's financial objective remains to ensure that its resources are used economically and efficiently and therefore it is taking a prudent approach in agreeing these fee increases. The small increases will enable us to ensure that adequate resources are available to finance the increased demands placed upon the Council's existing functions.”

The GDC has agreed to introduce an ARF from 2008 for inclusion on the Specialist Lists. This fee will be set at £50 per Specialist List entry and the first registration fee for inclusion on the Specialist Lists will be extended to all specialities from 2008, currently this is only applicable to the oral surgery and orthodontics lists. Further information on the ARF is available on the GDC website at www.gdc-uk.org/Current+registrant/Annual+retention+fees/.