The General Dental Council (GDC) has written to dentists in the UK asking them to submit their annual or end of cycle continuing professional development (CPD) declarations by 28 January 2011.

To remain registered to practise, UK dentists must complete 250 hours of CPD every five years, of which 75 hours must be verifiable.

At the end of each year a registrant is asked to submit the number of CPD hours they have completed by returning their annual statement form or logging on to the eGDC website.

If a registrant is in the 2006-2010 CPD cycle, their five-year cycle ends on 31 December 2010 and the GDC will be asking them to complete a CPD end of cycle declaration form or amend and update the CPD hours on their eGDC account. Registrants must do this by law.

Any end of cycle registrants who do not meet the 28 January deadline will be contacted and asked to send their full CPD records to verify that they have met the GDC's requirements. Registrants are requested not to send in CPD evidence unless they are asked to do so.

If a dentist does not confirm that they have completed a minimum of 250 hours of CPD every five years, they face removal from the GDC register and losing their right to practise in the UK. End of cycle registrants are also reminded that they need to keep records for five years after the end of their cycle, as they may be required for audit purposes.

Dentists who have registered in 2010 and therefore have not started their CPD cycle will not be included in this process.