The GDC's Implant Dentistry Group was set up last January to review standards and training in implant dentistry and to make recommendations to the GDC's Education Committee on how best to protect the public.

In October the Group reported to the Education Committee on its findings and identified that implant dentistry is a new and fast growing aspect of dentistry, an invasive procedure which, in circumstances where a dentist has not been adequately trained, poses a risk to patients and an area in which there is a lack of guidance for dentists.

The Education Committee endorsed the concerns identified in the Group's report. According to the GDC, though it requires dentists to practise only within their competence, the report suggests that some dentists are practising implantology without adequate training. It adds that whilst it is not responsible for the setting of detailed clinical standards in particular areas of dentistry, it is clear that action is needed to protect patients. The GDC will be setting up a meeting with the various professional groups to facilitate the setting and publication of core dental implantology guidelines, and to establish a longer-term mechanism for updating this guidance.