Best Practice & GDC Requirements (K1, S1, S3, B1)
Q: Talk me through how you comply with GDC Standards and scope of practice.
Situation: In my daily role as a dental nurse, I work chairside supporting the dentist and wider team.
Task: My responsibility is to provide safe, effective, and professional patient care in line with GDC Standards.
Action: I do this by preparing the surgery, maintaining infection control, assisting the dentist during treatment, and updating patient records accurately. I always work within my competence, follow HTM 01-05 for decontamination, and communicate effectively with both patients and colleagues.
Result: This ensures that patients receive safe, high-quality care, the team works efficiently, and the practice stays compliant with GDC regulations and CQC inspections.
- Wider System & Duty of Candour (K3, K10)
Q: How does your role fit within the wider healthcare system and what is duty of candour?
Situation: As a dental nurse, I am often the first point of contact for patients and part of the link between dentistry and other healthcare services.
Task: My responsibility is to support the dentist in delivering care, but also to help patients access other services when needed, and to act honestly and transparently if anything goes wrong.
Action: For example, I follow referral protocols if a patient needs oral surgery or specialist care. If an error occurred, I would follow the duty of candour: inform the patient, apologise, explain what happened, and record the incident.
Result: This approach builds trust with patients, protects their safety, and maintains the reputation and professionalism of the dental team within the wider healthcare system.
- Risk Assessment & Management (K16)
Q: Explain how you assess, reduce, and manage risks.
Situation: In practice, risks can arise from cross-infection, sharps, or even hazards in the clinical environment.
Task: It is my duty to identify, report, and minimise risks to protect patients, colleagues, and myself.
Action: I regularly carry out infection control checks, ensure COSHH guidelines are followed when handling chemicals, and report any hazards, such as faulty equipment or environmental risks, to the practice manager. For example, I once noticed a damaged suction hose and immediately reported it and removed it from use until repaired.
Result: By acting quickly, I prevented potential patient harm and avoided disruption to clinical care, supporting a safe working environment.
- Patient Records (K25)
Q: Why is it important to maintain accurate and current patient records?
Situation: Accurate records are essential for safe patient care and legal protection.
Task: I am responsible for updating records correctly, confidentially, and in line with GDPR and GDC Standards.
Action: I document treatment, advice, and consent immediately after appointments, ensuring entries are signed, dated, and stored securely. I never alter or falsify information and always keep records up to date.
Result: This allows continuity of care, supports the dental team in making safe clinical decisions, and protects both patients and staff in case of complaints or legal claims.
- Radiographs – Patient Safety & Processing (S18, S19)
Q: What actions would you take prior to taking a radiograph to ensure the patient’s safety?
Situation: I was asked to support with radiographs for a patient requiring bitewings.
Task: My role was to ensure radiation safety and accurate image processing in line with local rules and IR(ME)R regulations.
Action: Before exposure, I checked the justification from the dentist, confirmed patient identity, asked about pregnancy where relevant, and ensured the area was clear of others. I wore PPE and followed local rules regarding radiation-controlled areas. Once the radiograph was taken, I processed and stored the image securely in the patient’s record.
Result: This ensured patient safety, compliance with legal requirements, and provided clear diagnostic images for the dentist.
- Decontamination & Infection Control (K21, S15)
Q: Can you explain your responsibilities in relation to infection control?
Situation: Infection prevention is a core part of my role as a dental nurse.
Task: I must ensure that instruments, equipment, and the surgery are decontaminated to protect every patient.
Action: I follow HTM 01-05, separating dirty and clean zones, using the correct sterilisation cycles, logging autoclave checks, and wearing PPE. I also keep up to date with training and audits.
Result: This ensures compliance with CQC regulations, prevents cross-infection, and reassures patients that their safety is a priority.
- Medical Emergencies & CPR (K34, S21, S22)
Q: If a medical emergency occurs in your workplace, what is your role?
Situation: A patient once fainted in the chair during treatment.
Task: I had to recognise the emergency, support the dentist, and keep the patient safe.
Action: I stopped assisting, alerted the team, laid the patient flat, loosened clothing, monitored breathing and circulation, and prepared emergency oxygen if required. In a cardiac arrest situation, I would call 999, start CPR with chest compressions, use the practice defibrillator if indicated, and continue until paramedics arrived.
Result: The patient recovered quickly from the faint. My knowledge of emergency protocols and CPR meant the team responded effectively and the patient received safe care.
- Appraisals, CPD & Feedback (K36, S23, S24)
Q: Why are appraisals and reviews important?
Situation: In my practice, we have annual appraisals and regular feedback sessions.
Task: My responsibility is to engage in these reviews to reflect on my performance and identify development needs.
Action: I discuss my strengths, areas for improvement, and CPD needs with my manager. I also give feedback to colleagues, for example, complimenting effective teamwork or suggesting improvements in communication. I recently completed CPD on infection control and updated my portfolio with reflections.
Result: This helps me improve my skills, keeps me GDC-compliant, and supports the team in providing better patient care.
- PDP, Reflection & Quality Improvement (K35, S25, S26, S27)
Q: How does your PDP meet GDC requirements?
Situation: The GDC requires registrants to maintain a PDP and complete CPD.
Task: My role is to use reflection and CPD to maintain competence and improve practice quality.
Action: I set goals in my PDP, such as enhancing my knowledge in radiography and safeguarding. I reflect after training or challenging cases — for example, when assisting an anxious patient, I noted how communication techniques worked and how I could improve next time.
Result: This reflection helps me meet daily requirements, ensures I stay up to date, and contributes to quality improvements within the practice by sharing learning with the team.
- Raising Concerns (K6, K17)
Q: How would you raise concerns in line with GDC requirements?
Situation: If I observed unsafe practice or behaviour from a colleague, I would need to act.
Task: My duty is to protect patient safety and follow GDC Standards and local policy.
Action: I would first raise the concern informally with the colleague if appropriate. If unresolved, I would escalate to the practice manager, documenting the concern. If the issue posed serious risk and wasn’t addressed, I would escalate to external bodies such as the GDC or CQC.
Result: This ensures patients are protected, professional standards are upheld, and I meet my duty of candour and professional responsibility.
- Consequences of Professional Behaviour (K37)
Q: How could unprofessional behaviour affect registration, the team, and public opinion?
Situation: Professionalism is essential in dentistry, and poor behaviour has wide consequences.
Task: My responsibility is to always maintain professional standards.
Action: If I acted unprofessionally (e.g., broke confidentiality or was disrespectful), it could risk my GDC registration. It could also impact colleagues by lowering morale or even causing regulatory scrutiny for the whole team. Patients may lose trust in the practice, damaging reputation and public confidence in dentistry as a whole.
Result: By maintaining professionalism, I protect my registration, support my colleagues, and maintain trust in the profession.
- Networking & Stakeholder Engagement (K40)
Q: Why is it important to maintain a professional network?
Situation: Dental care often involves working with other professionals and services.
Task: My role is to maintain effective communication and links with colleagues and wider healthcare providers.
Action: I do this by keeping in touch with dental suppliers, liaising with referral services, attending CPD events, and working with safeguarding leads, GPs, and hospitals when necessary.
Result: This network supports patient care, ensures smooth referrals, and helps me keep up to date with best practice. It also builds resilience and knowledge within the dental team.
- Risk Management (K16)
Q: Describe a risk you have taken responsibility for and managed.
Situation: During a busy session, I noticed that one of the sharps bins in the surgery was filled above the recommended line. This presented a significant risk to staff safety.
Task: My responsibility was to manage this risk immediately to prevent injury and ensure compliance with HTM 01-05 and Health & Safety regulations.
Action: I stopped using the bin, labelled it as full, and arranged for its safe disposal following local policy. I then replaced it with a new sharps bin and reported the issue to the practice manager. I also suggested implementing a weekly sharps check rota to prevent recurrence.
Result: This reduced the immediate risk of sharps injury and infection transmission, while also creating a preventative system for future safety.
Evaluation:
• Other approaches: I could have simply removed the bin without reporting it, but that would not have solved the underlying issue.
• Why my approach worked: By taking immediate action and suggesting a system change, I addressed both the immediate hazard and future prevention.
• Learning: I developed greater confidence in assessing and managing risks proactively. In future, I will continue to combine immediate action with preventative measures.
- Problem Solving within Competence (K1, S1, S3)
Q: Give an example of solving a problem independently while acting within your GDC scope.
Situation: A patient attended with a strong gag reflex, making it difficult for the dentist to take an impression.
Task: My responsibility was to assist in managing the situation, within my scope as a dental nurse.
Action: I suggested using distraction techniques, such as asking the patient to lift their legs slightly during the impression, and prepared smaller impression trays as a backup option. I reassured the patient calmly throughout.
Result: The dentist successfully completed the impression, and the patient left feeling supported.
Evaluation:
• Alternative options: I could have left the situation entirely to the dentist, but offering practical support within my competence made the process smoother.
• Why my approach was appropriate: I stayed within my scope — supporting the dentist, reassuring the patient, and adapting equipment — without attempting clinical decisions outside my role.
• Learning: I learned the value of thinking creatively but safely, and the importance of teamwork in solving clinical problems.
- Ethical Dilemma (K6, K37, B1)
Q: Evaluate an ethical dilemma you have faced.
Situation: A colleague accidentally left a patient’s confidential notes on the reception desk where they could be seen.
Task: I faced an ethical dilemma: whether to quietly remove the notes or formally raise the issue.
Action: I removed the notes immediately to protect confidentiality. I then spoke privately with my colleague, reminding them of confidentiality rules, and later reported the incident to the practice manager so it could be logged and addressed in team training.
Result: The patient’s confidentiality was protected, the colleague was supported in recognising the mistake, and the practice improved its processes to prevent similar errors.
Evaluation:
• Alternative options: I could have ignored the situation or only removed the notes without escalation, but that would not have addressed the underlying risk.
• Why my approach worked: It balanced protecting the patient’s confidentiality (GDC Standard 4), supporting my colleague, and fulfilling my duty to raise concerns.
• Learning: I recognised how small errors can have serious ethical implications. In future, I will continue to act promptly, but also ensure issues feed into wider practice improvement.
