Today the General Dental Council approved a proposal to increase the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) for 2027 for both dentists and the dental team. What does this mean for dental nurses?
This means with an increase in line with Consumer Prices Index (August 2026), that dental nurses will see a 3.1% increase, taking the ARF to £111.00. Whilst the regulator states the increase is driven by an increase in fitness to practice cases, it does not openly share where the increase comes from, which group and how many of those numbers actually progress to full investigations.
The Society have always challenged the GDC to reconsider their fee structure proportionately, asking why a dental nurse should be expected to pay the same as a dental therapist (for example). It is not enough to show a number of cases, it needs to be considered in light of relative numbers given that dental nurses are the largest number and the level of both risk and harm that the percentage of cases represent for dental nurses.
The example now evident when looking at Continual Professional Development is there, and sets a precedent in the catergorisation and should be reflected in the ARF structure. There is no getting away from the fact that dental nurses are the poorest paid in the profession and are unlikely to see a pay increase to match this annual increase.
Follow the link to read the blog from the GDC https://www.gdc-uk.org/news-blogs/news/detail/2026/10/30/annual-retention-fee-confirmed-for-2027
