Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Dental Council Evlynne Gilvarry is to step down in January.

Having led the GDC for over five years as its Chief Executive and Registrar, Ms Gilvarry has decided to leave the organisation with effect from next year. She will continue in her role until the end of January 2016. An interim Chief Executive and Registrar will be sought following her departure.

New powers enabling long-awaited changes to the way the GDC carries out their fitness-to-practise (FtP) proceedings have been announced by the Department of Health. The new powers, set out in legislation laid in Parliament, are designed to improve the efficiency of the fitness to practise processes, enabling swifter investigation of complaints which will improve the system for both patients and dental professionals.

Under the new arrangements, due to come into effect in April 2016, the GDC will be able to appoint case examiners with powers to decide cases at an earlier stage than at present.

The GDC has also published its second annual review of the quality of dental training in the UK.

During 2013/14, 17 education and training programmes were inspected to make sure they meet the standards of education so that new entrants to the dental profession can demonstrate the required learning outcomes to enter the Dentists or DCP Registers.

The review found students were properly assessed to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge before treating patients, knew how to obtain valid consent and how to raise concerns appropriately.

Commenting on the review Evlynne Gilvarry said: 'Our annual review shows that the majority of programmes are providing training which meets the standards that we have set. The overall performance of dental schools and DCP training providers is good and ensures that new graduates are equipped with a core set of skills to be registered with the GDC and to start their dental careers with confidence.'