Dentists Act 1984

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved
Citation1984 c. 24
Year1984


Dentists Act 1984

1984 CHAPTER 24

An Act to consolidate the Dentists Acts 1957 to 1983, with an amendment to give effect to a recommendation of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission.

[26th June 1984]

B e it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

IThe General Dental Council

Part I

The General Dental Council

S-1Constitution and general duties of the Council.

1 Constitution and general duties of the Council.

(1) There shall continue to be a body corporate known as the General Dental Council (in this Act referred to as ‘the Council’).

(2) It shall be the general concern of the Council to promote high standards of dental education at all its stages and high standards of professional conduct among dentists, and the Council shall in particular perform the functions assigned to them by this Act.

(3) Part I of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect in relation to the Council.

S-2Committees of the Council.

2 Committees of the Council.

(1) There shall continue to be committees of the Council known as the Education Committee, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee and the Dental Auxiliaries Committee.

(2) The Disciplinary Committee of the Council shall be known instead as the Professional Conduct Committee.

(3) Part II of Schedule 1 to this Act shall have effect in relation to the committees mentioned in subsections (1) and (2) above.

(4) There shall be established a committee of the Council to be known as the Health Committee, which shall be constituted as Her Majesty may provide by Order in Council.

(5) An Order in Council made under subsection (4) above shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

IIDental Education

Part II

Dental Education

Degrees and licences in dentistry

Degrees and licences in dentistry

S-3Power of medical authorities to hold examinations and grant licences in dentistry.

3 Power of medical authorities to hold examinations and grant licences in dentistry.

(1) Any medical authority who have power for the time being to grant surgical degrees may, notwithstanding anything in any enactment, charter or other document, hold examinations in dentistry and grant licences certifying the fitness of the holders to practise dentistry; and the holders' names shall be entered on a list of licentiates in dentistry to be kept by the medical authority.

(2) Subsection (1) above is without prejudice to any power to grant a degree or licence in dentistry which a medical authority may possess apart from the provisions of this Act.

(3) In this section ‘medical authority’ means any of the universities or other bodies who choose appointed members of the General Medical Council, but also includes any of the universities and other bodies in the Republic of Ireland which immediately before 30th April 1979 were entitled to choose such members.

(4) References in this Act to a dental authority are references to a medical authority who grant degrees, licences or other diplomas in dentistry.

S-4Conduct of examinations for degrees and licences.

4 Conduct of examinations for degrees and licences.

(1) For the purpose of any examinations to qualify for a degree or licence in dentistry held by—

( a ) any university in England or Wales, Scotland or Ireland.

( b ) the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh,

( c ) the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, or

( d ) the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland,

the Council or other governing body of the university or college may appoint a board of examiners.

(2) Each of those boards shall be called the Board of Examiners in Dental Surgery or Dentistry, and shall consist of not less than six members of whom at least one half shall be registered dentists; and nothing in any enactment, charter or other document shall make it necessary for them to possess any other qualification.

(3) Persons appointed under this section shall continue in office for such period, and shall conduct the examinations in such manner, as the governing body appointing them may by byelaws or regulations direct.

(4) A casual vacancy in any such board of examiners may be filled by the governing body which appointed the board and the person so appointed—

( a ) shall be a registered dentist if the person in whose place he is appointed was a registered dentist, and

( b ) shall hold office for such time only as that other person would have held office.

(5) Such reasonable fees shall be paid for a degree or licence awarded after examination by a board of examiners under this section as the governing body by whom they were appointed may by byelaws or regulations direct and the degrees or licences awarded after examination by the board of examiners shall be in such form as that governing body may so direct.

(6) All byelaws and regulations made by a dental authority under this section, and any further byelaws or regulations altering or revoking them, shall be made in such manner, and subject to such approval or confirmation, if any, as in the case of other byelaws or regulations made by that dental authority.

S-5Holding of examinations and grant of licences byRoyal College of Surgeons of England.

5 Holding of examinations and grant of licences byRoyal College of Surgeons of England.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England shall continue to hold examinations, and to appoint a board of examiners in dentistry, and to grant licences certifying the fitness of the holders to practise, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of their charter dated 8th September 1859 and the byelaws made in pursuance of that charter; and the name of the holder of any licence so granted shall be entered on a list of licentiates in dentistry to be kept by the College.

S-6Requirements in relation to admission of candidatesto examinations and grant of degrees and licences.

6 Requirements in relation to admission of candidatesto examinations and grant of degrees and licences.

(1) A dental authority shall admit to the examinations held by them to qualify for a degree or licence in dentistry any person desirous of being examined who has complied with the regulations in force (if any) as to education laid down by the dental authority.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in any enactment, charter or other document, a dental authority shall not grant a degree or licence in dentistry to a person who has not attained the age of 21 years.

S-7Effect of grant of degree or licence in dentistry.

7 Effect of grant of degree or licence in dentistry.

A degree or licence in dentistry granted by a dental authority shall not confer any right or title to be registered under the Medical Act 1983, nor to assume any name, title or designation implying that the holder of the degree or licence is by law recognised as a practitioner or licentiate in medicine or general surgery.

Supervision of dental education

Supervision of dental education

S-8Information to be furnished by dental authorities.

8 Information to be furnished by dental authorities.

Every dental authority shall from time to time when required by the Council furnish them with such information as the Council may require—

a ) as to the course of study and examinations to be gone through in order to obtain a degree or licence in dentistry or any additional diploma in dentistry, and
b ) generally as to the conditions laid down for obtaining such a degree, licence or diploma
S-9Supervision of instruction given by dental schools andpost-graduate institutions.

9 Supervision of instruction given by dental schools andpost-graduate institutions.

(1) The Council may appoint persons to visit, subject to any directions which the Privy Council may deem it expedient to give and to compliance with any conditions specified in those directions, places where instruction is given—

( a ) to dental students under the direction of a dental authority, or

( b ) to...

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