ORE Part 2 Dental Law & Ethics (GDC) 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the four domains of the GDC Standards for the Dental Team (2013)?
- Patient-centred care, effective communication, maintaining knowledge, working with colleagues (Correct answer)
- Clinical excellence, record keeping, infection control, prescribing
- Ethics, law, training, assessment
- Consent, complaints, CPD, referrals
Correct answer: Patient-centred care, effective communication, maintaining knowledge, working with colleagues
The GDC Standards are organised around four principles: putting patients first, effective communication, maintaining knowledge and skills (CPD), and working effectively with colleagues.
Question 2: Under the GDC Standards, what is the minimum annual CPD requirement for a registered dentist in the UK?
- 10 hours per year with 75 hours over a 5-year cycle, including mandatory topics (Correct answer)
- 5 hours per year
- 20 hours per year
- No minimum — only verifiable CPD required
Correct answer: 10 hours per year with 75 hours over a 5-year cycle, including mandatory topics
GDC requires dentists to complete at least 10 hours of verifiable CPD per year, totalling 75 hours over a 5-year cycle, including mandatory subjects such as medical emergencies and infection control.
Question 3: What legal principle was established by the Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board (2015) ruling relevant to dental consent?
- Patients must be informed of all material risks relevant to them as individuals (Correct answer)
- A reasonable doctor standard determines what to disclose
- Only life-threatening risks need disclosure
- Verbal consent is always sufficient
Correct answer: Patients must be informed of all material risks relevant to them as individuals
Montgomery replaced the Bolam test for consent, requiring clinicians to disclose all risks that a reasonable patient in that individual's circumstances would want to know, not just what a reasonable doctor would disclose.
Question 4: What is the GDC's definition of 'fitness to practise'?
- A registrant's ability to practise safely and effectively, encompassing competence, health, conduct, and honesty (Correct answer)
- Only clinical skill level
- A registrant's physical health status
- Their CPD completion record
Correct answer: A registrant's ability to practise safely and effectively, encompassing competence, health, conduct, and honesty
Fitness to practise encompasses clinical competence, health, character (conduct and behaviour), and probity (honesty), all of which the GDC monitors through its fitness to practise procedures.
Question 5: What is the maximum period of time for which dental records must be retained for adult patients in the UK?
- 11 years from the date of last treatment (or to age 25 if patient was under 17) (Correct answer)
- 5 years
- 3 years
- Indefinitely for all patients
Correct answer: 11 years from the date of last treatment (or to age 25 if patient was under 17)
The retention period for adult dental records in England and Wales is 11 years from the last episode of care; for patients treated as children, records must be kept until age 25 or 11 years, whichever is longer.
Question 6: What does the acronym SBARR stand for in clinical handover communication?
- Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, Readback (Correct answer)
- Symptoms, Background, Audit, Report, Review
- Safety, Background, Action, Response, Record
- Situation, Brief, Action, Risk, Report
Correct answer: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, Readback
SBARR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, Readback) is a structured communication tool used during clinical handover to ensure accurate, complete transfer of patient information.
