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This study was conducted to identify the extent to which qualified dental practitioners in the UK currently undertake three distinct activities of Continuing Professional Development (CPD): reading professional journals; attending courses; and undertaking retraining courses. Also, to determine the impact of gender, age, length of time since qualification, current working hours and career breaks upon the extent to which dental practitioners engage in CPD. Data were analysed from a questionnaire survey of a systematic sample of one in 10 dentists taken from the Dentists Register of the UK General Dental Council. The response rate was 66.6%. Only dentists practising at the time of the survey were included in the analysis (N = 1550). A high proportion of the sample reported regularly undertaking activities related to CPD. Approximately 87% read professional journals at least once per month; just over half had attended five or more days at professional meetings and courses in the last year. Only a small proportion of dentists (12%) had undertaken a retraining course in the past three years. Those dentists who had been qualified for between 21 and 30 years, those who had gained additional qualifications after qualifying as a dentist, and those who had taken a career break at some point in their life were more likely to read professional journals. Attendance at postgraduate dental courses was related to being male, not having taken a career break, possessing an additional qualification, longer working hours, and not being a General Dental Practitioners (GDP). Attendance at a retraining course was less likely for those who had taken a career break, those who had attended fewer courses in the last year and for those who worked 30--40 h per week. A large proportion of dental practitioners are currently undertaking sufficient CPD to meet the UK requirements of recertification. Greater attention should be directed towards identifying the barriers to CPD among female dentists and those who have been qualified for longer periods. More research is needed in assessing the long-term CPD consequences of those who have returned to dentistry following a career break.

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There is a prevalent perception that NHS dental treatment is increasingly difficult to access. In order to access the validity of this perception data on the percentage of private and NHS patients treated by general dental practitioners (GDPs) were analysed. These data were derived from a national survey. The findings showed that GDPs can be divided into three broad groups on the basis of the proportion of patients treated privately or through the National Health Service (NHS). Approximately 50% of GDPs nationally concentrate on NHS dentistry (85% or more of their patients are treated under the NHS); 25% treat more than 70% of their patients privately; the remaining minority of practitioners fall between these two positions treating moderate proportions of both private and NHS patients. Regional differences also exist in the payment systems chosen by GDPs. The median percentage of private patients per dentist varies widely by area being around 50% in the South East and South West, 30% in London, 20% in the West Midlands and Eastern counties and less than 10% elsewhere. In a multivariate regression GDP characteristics were also significant in explaining the median percentage of private patients per GDP The findings add to widely held concerns about access to NHS dentistry, though suggest that problems may be limited to certain areas of the United Kingdom.

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