Dentists are working in McDonald’s as thousands are unable to secure a licence to practice despite a major shortage, a report reveals.
A registration ‘bottleneck’ means dentists who trained overseas but want to work in the UK are being forced to make a living in fast food restaurants.
The Association of Dental Groups said there is currently a backlog of 6,000 fully-trained overseas dentists in the queue to register with the General Dental Council.
But at the current rate it will be years before they are allowed to treat patients as they must first demonstrate their competency by passing the Overseas Registration Exam – and that is limited to just 600 applicants at a time.
The ADG report says 4.5million patients in the UK are going untreated each year due to the 2,749 shortfall in the dental workforce.
And it comes as people are resorting to DIY dentistry, pulling out their teeth with pliers, as they are unable to secure an appointment.
Neil Carmichael, executive chair of the ADG, said: ‘We need to unlock the barriers preventing the 6,000 fully-trained overseas dentists in the registration queue to practice as dentists in the UK, as a matter of urgency.
Dentists are working in McDonald’s as thousands are unable to secure a licence to practice despite a major shortage
‘Many of these dentists are here working in unskilled roles.
‘The General Dental Council must reform the Overseas Registration Examination, since currently each exam sitting only has capacity for 600 students.
‘At that rate, it will take years to get them qualified.
‘The ADG has been speaking to fully-trained dentists, such as Ahmed who has come to the UK from Egypt.
‘He is having to work in McDonald’s cleaning the lavatories because he can’t get through the ORE. This is crazy and should be our number one priority.’
Mr Carmichael added: ‘We need more dentists.
‘Part of this is addressing the red-tape limiting talented dentists from overseas from registering to practice as a dentist here in the UK.
‘It is a shameful waste to have them flipping burgers in our fast food restaurants when they could be caring for patients.’
A registration ‘bottleneck’ means dentists who trained overseas but want to work in the UK are being forced to make a living in fast food restaurants
Overseas dentists say they have tried four or five times to register of the ORE but it is a ‘frantic scramble’ as places are snapped up within seconds of bookings opening.
Ahmed, a trained dentist from Egypt currently working in McDonald’s and as a part-time dental nurse, said: ‘Despite holding a postgraduate masters’ degree in dental implantology and being a fully qualified Egyptian dentist, I am currently working in the UK at McDonald’s.
‘I am frustrated by the ORE system and have been trying since 2022 to complete the GDC registration to practice here in the UK.’
Shoaib Saiyed, a trained dentist from India who is work in sandwich chain Subway, said: ‘I am a fully-trained dentist with ten years’ experience – but right now my job title is “Sandwich Artist”.
‘I have been making sandwiches at a Subway fast food outlet in Birmingham for over nine months.
‘I am very frustrated that I can’t get a place on the ORE.
‘I don’t understand why the GDC doesn’t create provisional registration, so that we can be tried and tested. I just want to prove myself.’
An inquiry by the Commons Public Accounts Committee earlier this year found a Government plan to fix NHS dentistry actually made it worse and resulted in fewer new patients being seen.
The Association of Dental Groups said there is currently a backlog of 6,000 fully-trained overseas dentists in the queue to register with the General Dental Council
It described attempts to improve access as a ‘complete failure’ as services are underpinned by a contract that is ‘not fit for purpose’.
That same week, the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey revealed satisfaction with NHS dentistry has ‘continued to collapse’.
Levels are at a record low of 20 per cent, compared with 60 per cent in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, while dissatisfaction levels of 55 per cent are at a record high and the worst of any NHS service.
