Dentists may continue using the title 'Dr'

On 1st. March the GDC published its Guidance on Ethical Advertising with no mention of use of the title Dr. by dentists. In that it appears this matter is no longer on the agenda for future meetings of the Council, the guidance given by the Council in 1995 that Dentists can henceforth use the title 'Dr' remains in force.

The Final Chapter

In previous posts I have been outlining the dilemma the GDC has unwittingly brought upon itself by asking its Standards Committee to consider use of the title 'Dr.' in its deliberations on ethical advertising.

I have been arguing that the GDC needed to find a way to accept the reoprt on ethical advertising, whilst rejecting the recommendations regarding use of the title 'Dr.' It seems that with the arrival of Kevin O'Brien as Chair of the GDC comes also a degree of common sense! In December the Council ratified the guidance on ethical advertising, whilst deciding not to debate and vote on the 'Dr.' issue at that time. On 1st. March the Guidance on Ethical Advertising was published - containing no mention of the 'Dr' title. It may be that the Council intends to consider this matter when it meets later this month, but one poses the question "does it now really need to consider this matter at all?"

Perhaps the way forward for the GDC is now to neither accept nor reject the Committee's recommendations on this issue, rather instead let the matter quietly fade away. So hopefully this will then be the final chapter in what has been a wholly unnecessary debate.

A new Chair and a new way forward

In December the GDC once again ducked the issue by failing to vote on whether dentists should continue to use the title 'Dr', whilst ratifying its guidance on ethical advertising. The GDC is aware that, in asking  its Standards Committee to consider the use of the title 'doctor' by dentists as part of its investigation into the Principles of Ethical Advertising, it has unwittingly put itself in a dilemma that it has hitherto be unable to resolve, in that included in its recommendations, the Standards Committee concluded that dentists in the UK should no longer be permitted to use the title 'Dr'.

The GDC is now intending to consider the matter when it meets in March. It realises that it is in danger of inflicting immense damage on itself, over an issue which is entirely of its own making, if it votes to implement a ban it will be unable to enforce. Consequently it needs to find a way of accepting the recommendations of the Standards Committee on advertising, whilst rejecting its recommendations on use of the title 'Dr'. In a previous posting I outlined reasons why the GDC should have no difficulty in so doing.

The Council now has a new Chair in the person of Kevin O'Brien. He points out that the role of the GDC is not to represent registrants but to "take considered decisions on matters which may affect the standards of care patients receive". Let us hope he encourages the Council to realise that, in taking those decisions, it cannot act as some medieval Star Chamber and not consider the impact a decision to implement a ban would have on the status of the profession, as dentists try to explain to their patients why they should no longer be called 'Dr'.