SIR – All dentists, dental nurses, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental therapists and orthodontic therapists must be registered with the General Dental Council. We need your views on three key parts of our work.

Standards of conduct, performance and ethics: We are updating these standards. For example, we are recommending a list of costs is clearly visible in a reception or waiting area, and dentists to be sufficiently fluent in written and spoken English to communicate effectively. If standards are not followed, we can investigate and stop a dental professional working in the UK.

Direct Access: At the moment, you need to see a dentist first before you can see a dental hygienist, dental therapist, dental nurse, orthodontic therapist, dental technician and clinical dental technician. We are considering changing our guidance on this.

Keeping skills and knowledge up to date: We expect your dental team to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. They do this through Continuing Professional Development. We are looking at our current requirements in this area.

As a dentist myself, I would encourage you to take part in these consultations.

You can do this by logging on to gdc-uk.org/haveyoursay.

Kevin O’Brien, Chairman, General Dental Council, London