The global dental implants and prosthetics market is expected to reach USD 12.32 billion by 2021, at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2% from 2016 to 2021 [1]. Although Europe accounted for the largest share of the global dental implants and prosthetics market in 2015 [1], the number of implants placed per 10,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK) is significantly lower than many comparable European nations [2]. It is believed that the UK is one of the European countries with the greatest potential for an increase in the use of dental implants [2], and this has been reflected by the 20–30% rapid growth of dental implant industry in the UK within the last few years [3].

However, this also accompanied an increase in the number of litigation cases arising from implant dentistry. According to the statistics provided by one of the largest indemnity organisations in the UK, ‘implants’ claims and ‘implants and perio’ claims accounted for 28.8 and 5.5%, respectively, based on the top 20 UK claims by value [4].

The ‘Scope of Practice’ from the General Dental Council (GDC) identifies providing dental implants as an additional skill that a dentist could develop [5]. The qualified general dental practitioners in the UK are not expected to be competent in practicing implant dentistry without further training in the subject, and the GDC emphasises the importance of appropriate postgraduate training prior to practicing dental implants. Dental Implantology is not recognised as a specialty in the UK [6], and the current education pathways for the subject include:

Specialist training in a related specialty of dentistry such as periodontology and prosthodontics;

Academic qualification at a postgraduate level;

Continuing professional development (CPD) courses [7].

Development of Training Standards in Implant Dentistry (TSID) guidelines by Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP (UK)) [8] has led to a significant improvement in the quality of postgraduate education in Dental Implantology in the UK. The latest review in 2016 states that it aims to provide a summary of the training that a reasonable dental practitioner carrying out safe implant dentistry in the UK should undertake, before embarking upon patient care in this discipline. This document is not only used by the education providers and prospective students for the postgraduate training purposes but also by the GDC when investigating the fitness to practice of dental practitioners, who have allegedly practised implant dentistry beyond the limits of their own competence.