If you want to give something back to the dental profession, now's your chance. The GDC is seeking dental professionals to join its independent Fitness to Practise Panel, and applications are due now.

Members of the panel are responsible for hearing cases where a dental professional's fitness for registration has been called into question by their conduct, health, or professional performance. Membership of each panel is drawn from this independent pool of dental professionals and laypeople.

The Fitness to Practise Panel was set up by the GDC in 2003 as an independent body. Before this, lay and professional members of the GDC used to hear cases about dental professionals' fitness to remain on the GDC's registers.

The Panel now undertakes a broader range of hearings, including hearings about dental professionals' performance, and needs more professional members to meet the increasing demand.

It currently has 26 dental professional members (20 dentists and six DCPs) and 22 lay members. The GDC is now looking to recruit more dental professionals to serve on the Panel.

Derbyshire-based dental hygienist, Shaun Howe, has been a DCP member of the Fitness to Practise Panel for three years. He explains how it works: ‘We sit in panels of five, with the support of legal, medical and professional advisers and staff from the GDC's Hearings Directorate. We give a basic commitment of 20 days per year.’

‘Our task is to protect the public. We do this by hearing evidence and making decisions on the facts which have been alleged in the charge,’ says Shaun. ‘We then decide how serious the issues are, and what, if anything, needs to be done about it.’

Cases vary enormously in length and type. A health case or simple conduct case such as a criminal conviction can typically be completed in half a day, but a complicated conduct case, involving several patients and many different issues, can take a week or longer.'

Applications are invited from all GDC-registrant groups (dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental nurses, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists). Applicants do not need to be registered with the GDC when they apply, however they must be registered by 1 June 2007 to proceed with their application. All completed application forms must be received by Monday 26 March 2007.