Work as a dentist in the UK: ORE Part 1 and Part 2 (2026)

• A primary dental qualification that allows you to practise in the country where you qualified.
• At least 1,600 hours of clinical experience treating patients in the dental chair, shown on clinical references no more than three months old.
• A UK ENIC Statement of Comparability for your dental degree.
• A current certificate of good standing from the country where you last practised.
• A character reference from a dentist, doctor or lawyer who has known you for more than 12 months, not a family member.
• English evidence the GDC accepts, such as Academic IELTS with at least 6.5 in each skill and 7 overall, usually less than two years old.
• A valid passport for the GDC's online identity check.
• The ability to travel to London, possibly several times, for ORE Part 1 and Part 2.
• A job offer from a Home Office approved sponsor if you need a visa to work in the UK.

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• GDCGeneral Dental Council

  Dentists and dental care professionals

  How to register with the GDC

1. 1

   1. Confirm you need the ORE

   Check the GDC's list of recognised overseas qualifications. If your degree is not on it, or was granted after the cut-off date, you need the ORE. Do not rely on your degree being well regarded elsewhere: the GDC list is short and exact.
2. 2

   2. Get your English evidence

   Most Gulf and South Asian-trained dentists will take Academic IELTS. The GDC needs at least 6.5 in each of reading, writing, listening and speaking, with 7 overall. Book early, as the result must usually be less than two years old when you apply.
3. 3

   3. Collect documents and apply to the ORE candidate list

   You need a UK ENIC Statement of Comparability, certified degree, character reference, clinical references covering 1,600 hours, and a certificate of good standing. Apply through MyGDC and pay the £115 application fee. The GDC aims to process complete applications in 60 working days, longer at busy times.
4. 4

   4. Pass ORE Part 1

   Book Part 1 the moment the booking window opens, because places are first come, first served and sittings fill fast. The exam is two three-hour papers in London, and you must pass both. Results come within 30 working days.
5. 5

   5. Pass ORE Part 2

   Part 2 is held at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute in London and costs £6,967 per attempt. It includes a dental manikin test, an OSCE, a diagnostic and treatment planning exercise and a medical emergencies exam. You must pass within five years of your first Part 1 attempt.
6. 6

   6. Register with the GDC

   Apply for registration through MyGDC. The application fee is £117.23 and the GDC aims to decide within three months. When approved, you pay the registration fee for the rest of the calendar year, which is pro rata.
7. 7

   7. Meet NHS requirements and find a job

   Most roles are associate positions in general practice; salaried roles exist in community and hospital services. If you want to provide NHS care, ask the employer which NHS requirements apply in that nation, including joining the performers list in England. This can take time, so build it into your start date.
8. 8

   8. Apply for your visa

   Dental practitioners (occupation code 2253) are an eligible occupation for the Health and Care Worker visa if your employer is the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care and is a licensed sponsor. You need a certificate of sponsorship before you apply. Self-employed associate arrangements can complicate sponsorship, so confirm with the employer how the role will be structured.

• ORE Part 1

  Two computer-based papers of three hours each: Paper A (dental science and human disease) and Paper B (clinical dentistry, including law, ethics, and health and safety), using extended matching and single best answer questions. Held at venues in London with UCL Consultants as provider. Four attempts allowed.

  Read the guide

• ORE Part 2

  An operative test on a dental manikin (three procedures over three hours), an OSCE, a diagnostic and treatment planning exercise with an actor, and a medical emergencies exam including single-handed basic life support. Held at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute, London. Four attempts allowed, and you can resit the medical emergencies component alone if that is the only part you fail.

  Read the guide

• IELTS (Academic)

  Not an ORE component, but the usual English evidence for the GDC. You need at least 6.5 in each skill and 7 overall. IELTS One Skill Retake and IELTS Online are accepted at the same scores.

  Read the guide

• Academic IELTS with at least 6.5 in each of reading, writing, listening and speaking, and 7 overall.
• The test report must usually be no more than two years old when you apply.
• A recent (under two years) dental degree taught and examined entirely in English, with at least 75% of clinical interaction in English, can be accepted instead.
• Recent and continuous practice in a country where English is the first language, backed by employer references, can be accepted. Gulf countries do not count for this.
• For the Health and Care Worker visa, GOV.UK says dentists who have passed an English assessment accepted by their regulator do not need to prove English again.

Estimate your total cost

• ORE application: the GDC aims to process it within 60 working days.
• ORE Parts 1 and 2: the GDC says six to 12 months if you pass both first time, but current demand substantially extends this.
• GDC registration after the ORE: the GDC aims for three months.
• NHS onboarding and visa: allow several more months; GOV.UK says visa decisions usually take up to three weeks after your identity check.
• Realistically, plan for two years or more from first GDC application to starting work.

Most dentists in NHS general practice are self-employed, so there is no single national salary. In England, NHS practices hold contracts with the NHS and are paid for delivering an agreed amount of activity, measured in units of dental activity (UDAs). Associates usually agree their own terms with the practice owner, often a share of the NHS and private income their work generates, and these terms vary widely. The figures below are the national salaries NHS Health Careers lists for salaried dental roles in training and hospital posts. Private dentistry is not on any national scale.

• Dental foundation training (salaried)

  £42,408 a year

  From 1 April 2025, per NHS Health Careers. UK graduates usually do this year; check whether it applies to you.

• Dental core trainee

  £55,355 to £67,325

  Basic salary from 1 April 2026.

• Dental specialty trainee

  £67,325 to £77,348

  Basic salary.

• Consultant (hospital dentistry)

  £113,565 to £150,569

  Basic salary from 1 April 2026.

• Associate in NHS general practice: Varies by practiceUsually self-employed. Pay depends on the agreement with the practice and the NHS contract it holds.
• Salaried community dental service: National salaried scalesCheck the current scale with NHS Employers or the employer.

See your NHS band and annual pay

• NHS general dental practices, mostly as a self-employed associate
• Corporate dental groups that run many NHS and private practices
• Private dental practices
• Community dental services (salaried NHS roles, often treating patients with additional needs)
• NHS hospital trusts, in oral surgery, orthodontics and restorative dentistry departments
• Armed forces dental services and dental schools

• Dental practitioners (occupation code 2253) are listed as eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa.
• You must work for the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care, for a Home Office approved sponsor, and you need a certificate of sponsorship.
• The application fee is £324 for up to three years or £628 for more than three years, and you do not pay the immigration health surcharge.
• You usually need to be paid at least £25,000, or the going rate for the job if that is higher.
• You need at least £1,270 in savings held for at least 28 consecutive days, as GOV.UK sets out.
• Private-only practices that are not NHS suppliers may sponsor through the Skilled Worker visa instead, which has a higher general salary threshold. Check GOV.UK for the current rules.

1. 1

   Your DHA, DOH, MOHAP, SCFHS, QCHP or other Gulf licence does not exempt you from the ORE. The GDC's recognised qualifications list depends on where and when you qualified, not where you practise.

2. 2

   Your Gulf clinical work can count towards the 1,600 hours of chair-side experience you need to join the ORE candidate list. Ask your clinical director or licensed supervisor for references on headed paper, no more than three months old.

3. 3

   Ask your current Gulf regulator for a certificate of good standing early, as the GDC needs one from the country where you last practised. Allow several weeks for it to be issued.

4. 4

   Practice in the Gulf does not count as practice in an English-speaking country for GDC English evidence, even if you worked in English. Most Gulf-based dentists will need Academic IELTS.

5. 5

   You will need to travel to London for each ORE part, and you may need to rebook if a sitting fills. Keep enough leave and savings to cover several trips.

6. 6

   If you have a specialist qualification, it does not by itself put you on a UK specialist list. Register as a dentist first, then check the GDC's specialist list rules.

• Application plan with every step, fee and deadline

• Document checklist tailored to you, and a review of each document before upload

• Timeline built around the regulator's closure windows and document validity periods

• Help completing the application forms accurately and consistently

• Support with profession-specific evidence, such as the HCPC standards of proficiency mapping

• Guidance on certificates of good standing, references and certified translations

• Preparation for identity checks and declarations on health and character

• Tracking your application and help responding to regulator requests

• Next steps after the decision: exams, adaptation, PIN or licence and your first job

Regulators make all registration decisions and set all fees. Our fee is separate from the regulator's fees, exam fees and translation costs.

What our registration and licensing support includesPackages and fees