The GDC has announced that it is increasing its annual retention fee (ARF) from £576 to £890 for dentists and decreasing the fee for dental care professionals (DCPs) from £120 to £116. In June, the GDC proposed that the fee for dentists would increase to £945, and that the fee for DCPs would increase to £128.

The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) welcomed the GDC's decision to set a lower ARF of £116 for dental nurses, but says that the fee is still too high in comparison to dental nurse salaries, especially for those who work part time.

The BADN strongly believes that the ARF for dental nurses should be considerably lower than that for hygienists and therapists, and that there should be a reduced ARF for all registrants who work part time.

The British Dental Association (BDA), who has opposed the ARF increase for dentists since it was proposed in June, was granted a judicial review of the GDC's ARF consultation. If the BDA are successful, the Regulations implementing the ARF increase for dentists are likely to be quashed. The review was due to take place on 15 December 2014 in the High Court and the result will be reported in the next issue of BDJ Team.

The new fees must be paid by dentists by 31 December 2014 and by DCPs by 31 July 2015.