The General Dental Council (GDC) is writing to all registered dentists in England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands to encourage them to stand for and vote in an election to the Council.

The GDC is holding a by-election for the constituency of England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, to fill the vacancy created by Andrew Keetley's resignation from the Council last month. Andrew had been a member of the GDC since 2002. His contribution to the GDC's work is widely recognised and he will be missed by members and staff.

Hew Mathewson said:

"I hope as many dentists as possible put themselves forward for this challenging, diverse and rewarding work. It is important that all dentists play their part by exercising their right to vote and having their say in who runs the dental professionals' regulatory body."

The nomination period runs from 27 April to 25 May 2006. Dentists interested in standing for election will be able to obtain full details of the nomination process during this time by:

-- Visiting the GDC web site
-- emailing byelectiongdc-uk
-- calling the by-election helpline on 020 7344 3740.
1. The notice of election will be published in The Times and on the GDC website on Thursday 27 April. The Council will also write to all dentists with registered addresses in England, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands to encourage them to take part in this election.

2. The by-election timetable is:

Publication of Notice for By-election - 27 April 2006
Last day for receipt of nominations - 25 May 2006 by 5 p.m.
Issue of voting papers - 30 June 2006
Last day for receipt of voting papers - 21 July 2006 by 5 p.m.
Counting of votes - 24 July 2006
Result announcement - 25 July 2006

3. Details of the election candidates will be posted on the GDC website after 25 May.

4. The successful candidate will serve on the GDC until 9 April 2008.

5. The Council has 29 members:

-- 15 dentists (elected by other dentists)
-- 4 dental hygienists and therapists (elected by other hygienists and therapists)
-- 10 members of the public (appointed by the Queen)

The four chief dental officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are associate members, which means they do not have voting rights.

6. Of the 15 dentist members of the Council:

-- 11 are elected from the constituency of England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands
-- 2 are elected from the constituency of Scotland
-- 1 is elected from the constituency of Wales
-- 1 is elected from the constituency of Northern Ireland

General Dental Council