Almost 6,000 General Dental Council (GDC) registrants have responded to a survey carried out as part of the GDC's review of its mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) scheme.

The GDC commissioned ERS: Research to undertake an online survey exploring what registrants think about CPD. The findings will contribute to the wider review that is taking a thorough look at the GDC's current CPD requirements.

The online survey was conducted with a random representative sample of GDC registrants and included questions about their perceptions and motivations for undertaking CPD.

The results are due to be published in early 2012.The GDC introduced compulsory CPD for dentists in 2002 and for dental care professionals (DCPs) in 2008. The current requirements for both registrant categories have been in place since 2008 and the GDC felt the time was right to undertake a review.

Any new CPD requirements will not be introduced before 2013.

'A modified approach to CPD will be a key step towards developing a workable, proportionate and cost-effective approach to revalidation in the future,' said Claire Herbert, Head of Revalidation at the GDC.

General comments about CPD can still be sent to CPDReview@gdc-uk.org.