About Dental Council
The Dental Council regulates dentistry under the Dentists Act 1985 — maintaining the Register and investigating complaints.
Ireland · Dentists
Ethics & Professionalism Courses for Dentists in Ireland
Built for dental practitioners registered with the Dental Council of Ireland. Our courses address professional standards, ethical obligations, and fitness to practise requirements. Written by healthcare professionals familiar with Irish dental regulation.
Why These Courses?
Aligned with Dental Council guidelines. Helping dentists facing an investigation, inquiry or fitness to practise review, and for CPD purposes.
Facing an Investigation? Select Your Investigation Type
We'll recommend the courses you need based on your situation
ETHICS & CONDUCT STANDARDS
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Dentists and Dental Practitioners
Covers ethical obligations including duties to report concerns, maintain honesty, and uphold probity in all professional dealings — core Dental Council requirements.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
PROFESSIONALISM STANDARDS
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Dentists and Dental Practitioners
Covers professional standards and behaviours expected by the Dental Council — conduct, communication, teamwork, and maintaining public trust.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
MEDICAL ETHICS
Medical Ethics Course
Comprehensive course on medical ethics principles — ethical frameworks, moral reasoning, and professional decision-making aligned with Dental Council guidelines.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Professional Ethics Course
Explores the professional ethics landscape — ethical obligations, standards of practice, and regulatory expectations set by the Dental Council.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
DUTY OF CANDOUR
Duty of Candour for Healthcare Professionals
Covers duty of candour obligations — being open and honest with patients when things go wrong, as required by the Dental Council.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice
Understand confidentiality obligations under Dental Council guidelines — data protection, justified disclosure, and information sharing.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
PRIVACY, CONSENT & CHAPERONE
Privacy, Consent and Chaperone in Healthcare Practice
Training on valid informed consent, patient privacy, capacity assessment, and chaperone requirements per Dental Council guidelines.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
COMMUNICATION
Effective Communication for Healthcare Professionals
Communication skills that prevent complaints — breaking bad news, shared decision-making, and conflict resolution per Dental Council guidelines.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
DOCUMENTATION
Documentation for Healthcare Professionals
Create clear, legally defensible records meeting Dental Council standards — electronic records, amendments, and common errors.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media Professionalism and Boundaries for Healthcare Professionals
Navigate social media risks — Dental Council guidance on online conduct, digital confidentiality, and reputation management.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
TEAMWORK
Ensuring Teamwork and Collaboration
Strengthen multidisciplinary teamwork — communication, handover protocols, hierarchy management, and safe team environments.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
PRESCRIBING
Prescribing Guidance and Standards for Healthcare Professionals
Ethical and professional standards for safe prescribing — regulatory guidelines, controlled substances, and protocols.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
CLINICAL COMPETENCE
Ensuring Clinical Competence and Patient Safety
Maintain and demonstrate clinical competence as required by the Dental Council — patient safety, risk management, and governance.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
PROBITY
Probity and Honesty for Healthcare Professionals
What probity means under Dental Council guidelines — honesty, financial integrity, transparency, and managing conflicts of interest.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
FINANCIAL INTEGRITY
Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals
Navigate financial ethics — conflicts of interest, industry relationships, billing ethics, gift policies, and full transparency.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
TRUST REBUILDING
Rebuilding Trust of Patients, Public and Healthcare Regulator
Practical guidance on rebuilding professional trust after an incident — restoring confidence with patients, the public, and the Dental Council.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
FITNESS TO PRACTICE
Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals
Essential course for Dental Council proceedings — complaints, investigation, hearings, demonstrating insight, remediation, and outcomes.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
MODULE ON INSIGHT
Insight for Fitness to Practise
Build professional insight — recognising limitations, understanding impact, and satisfying Dental Council expectations during proceedings.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
MODULE ON REMEDIATION
Remediation for Fitness to Practise
Guidance on effective remediation — action plans, evidencing change, and demonstrating concerns are addressed.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
MODULE ON REFLECTION
Reflection for Fitness to Practise
Develop meaningful reflective practice — reflective accounts, structured frameworks, and meeting Dental Council expectations.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
MISTAKE & MISCONDUCT PREVENTION
Ensuring No Repeat of Misconduct or Mistake in Future Practice
Demonstrate that past issues will not be repeated — root cause analysis, practice changes, and sustained improvement.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
COMPLAINT OR INVESTIGATION
Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally
Guidance on managing complaints professionally — investigation process, response letters, lessons learned, and resilience.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES
Professional Boundaries Course
Covers the boundary spectrum, dual relationships, warning signs of drift, sexual boundary violations, and maintaining trust.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
ETHICAL BOUNDARIES
Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues
Maintaining ethical boundaries in clinical relationships — patient interactions, colleague dynamics, and power imbalances.
2 CPD hours · aligned with Dental Council
Ethics and Professionalism CPD for Dentists in Ireland
Ethical, professional practice is central to safe, trusted care in Ireland. The Dental Council sets the standards dentists are expected to meet, and ethics, professionalism and probity run through all of them. Our courses give dentists a structured, documented way to develop these areas — whether for routine continuing professional development, or to demonstrate insight and remediation after a concern has been raised.
Facing an investigation, inquiry, complaint or fitness-to-practise process?
You don’t have to face it alone. Our courses are built to help dentists in Ireland respond constructively to a Dental Council complaint, inquiry, investigation or fitness-to-practise process — demonstrating the genuine insight, remediation and reflection regulators look for, while strengthening your future practice. Work through them at your own pace, with a certificate for your portfolio at the end. They complement, and never replace, advice from your indemnifier or solicitor.
Find your courses →Regulatory standards and continuing professional development
The Dental Council sets out the ethical duties expected of dentists through the Dental Council's Code of Practice relating to professional behaviour and ethical conduct, and registered dentists must maintain their continuing professional development. Our Ethics and Ethical Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals and Professionalism and Professional Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals courses are written specifically for dentists, while the foundational Professional Ethics Course and Medical Ethics Course cover the core principles every registered professional shares.
Fitness to practise and responding to a Dental Council complaint
Under the Dentists Act 1985, the Dental Council can investigate concerns about a dentist’s fitness to practise, which may lead to an inquiry and, in some cases, sanctions. Dentists who can show genuine insight, reflection and remediation early are in a far stronger position. Our Insight for Fitness to Practise, Remediation for Fitness to Practise and Reflection for Fitness to Practise courses are written for exactly this, alongside Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally and Ensuring No Repeat of Misconduct or Mistake in Future Practice.
Consent, confidentiality and data protection
Dentists in Ireland must safeguard patient confidentiality and handle personal data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Clear consent and appropriate use of chaperones are equally central to safe, respectful care. These themes are covered in Confidentiality in Healthcare Practice, Privacy, Consent and Chaperone in Healthcare Practice and Effective Communication for Healthcare Professionals.
Probity, boundaries and documentation
Honesty and probity, maintaining professional boundaries, and keeping accurate records are recurring themes in fitness-to-practise cases. The relevant courses include Probity and Honesty for Healthcare Professionals, the Professional Boundaries Course, Ethical Boundaries with Patients and Colleagues, Documentation for Healthcare Professionals and Financial Integrity for Healthcare Professionals.
Candour, teamwork and everyday professionalism
Open and honest communication when things go wrong, safe practice, good teamwork and professional conduct online all support patient trust and reduce risk. Explore Duty of Candour for Healthcare Professionals, Prescribing Guidance and Standards, Ensuring Teamwork and Collaboration, Ensuring Clinical Competence and Patient Safety, Social Media Professionalism and Boundaries and Rebuilding Trust of Patients, the Public and Healthcare Regulators.
What our dentist ethics courses cover
Every course is concise, practical and mapped to the standards Irish dentists are expected to meet — two CPD hours each, fully online, with an instant certificate.
Ethics and ethical standards
Core ethics and the ethical standards dentists are held to under the Dental Council's Code of Practice relating to professional behaviour and ethical conduct — consent, confidentiality, honesty and respect for patient autonomy.
Professionalism and probity
What good professional behaviour looks like day to day: integrity, honesty in all dealings, appropriate boundaries with patients and colleagues, and professional use of social media.
Fitness to practise, insight and remediation
Understanding the Dental Council’s fitness-to-practise process, and developing the insight, reflection and remediation that demonstrate genuine learning after a complaint or mistake.
Communication, consent and confidentiality
Effective communication, valid consent, the duty of candour, and protecting patient information in line with GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Courses can be taken individually for routine CPD or combined to build a focused portfolio when preparing for, or responding to, a Dental Council investigation.
Frequently asked questions
Are these courses suitable for dentists in Ireland?
Yes. They are written for dentists registered with the Dental Council, using Irish standards, terminology and regulatory framework.
Do the courses count towards my CPD or professional competence?
They provide structured CPD you can record it towards your CPD. We are an independent course provider, not a training body, so confirm how it maps to your requirements with the Dental Council.
How many CPD hours is each course?
Each course is worth 2 CPD hours.
How much does each course cost?
Each course is €99. Discounts are available if you buy several courses together.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. You receive an instant certificate of completion as soon as you finish each course.
Can these courses help if I am facing a Dental Council complaint or fitness-to-practise inquiry?
They can help you demonstrate insight, remediation and reflection, which the Dental Council looks for. They are educational courses and not legal advice — for a live complaint you should also seek advice from your indemnifier and, where appropriate, a solicitor.
Are the courses online and self-paced?
Yes. Every course is fully online and self-paced, and works on any device.
Do the courses cover GDPR and patient confidentiality?
Yes. Confidentiality, privacy, valid consent and data protection under GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 are covered across several courses.
Which course should I start with?
Most dentists start with Ethics and Ethical Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals, the Professional Ethics Course, or Professionalism and Professional Standards for Dentists and Dental Professionals, then add courses relevant to their needs.
Are the courses aligned with the Dental Council's Code of Practice relating to professional behaviour and ethical conduct?
Yes. The content is written with close reference to the Dental Council's Code of Practice relating to professional behaviour and ethical conduct and to recurring themes in fitness-to-practise cases. We are an independent provider and not endorsed by the Dental Council.
Who develops the courses?
Courses are developed by a team led by Dr Shehzad Iqbal, drawing on healthcare law, ethics and professional regulation experience, and are kept up to date with current standards.
Can I buy courses for my team?
Yes. You can buy multiple courses, and a bulk-buy bundle is available for individuals or teams who want broader coverage.
How long do I have access?
You have ample time to complete each course at your own pace, and you can download your certificate as soon as you finish.
Will the certificate be accepted by my employer or regulator?
The certificate documents the CPD you have completed. Whether it is counted towards a specific requirement is at the discretion of your employer or regulator, so check their criteria if you need it for a particular purpose.
Preparing for Investigation or seeking CPD?
Courses written by healthcare professionals, aligned with Dental Council guidelines for dentists in Ireland.
Find Your Courses