In 1949 a group of like-minded technicians decided to form the United Dental Technicians Association, to lobby Government and allow dental technicians to manufacture and fit dentures directly to members of the public.

It was felt that suitably trained technicians would provide a service of higher quality and cost-effectiveness than that delivered by dentists of the time.

The proposal was met with both huge indifference by Government and fierce resistance by the dental profession.

The original association eventually became the Association for Dental Prosthesis during the 1960s and began to deliver educational programmes to its members. It also established its own college and became a self regulating voluntary non profit making organisation.

The campaign to change the law continued with some minor success and very few prosecutions for illegal dentistry up until the early 1990s. In 1991 the then Conservative Government commissioned the Nuffield Foundation to review the role of Dental Auxiliaries within dentistry. In 1993 the Nuffield Foundation published its report and recommended that all personnel working within dentistry should be regulated and registered with the General Dental Council. Further, the report recommended the introduction of Clinical Dental Technicians who would provide removable dental appliances directly to members of the public.

During the next decade a huge amount of work was undertaken by all stakeholders to move the dental profession forward and to modernise in line with the Nuffield Foundation Report.

As a result of the Nuffield Foundation Report, and on the advice of the Minister of Health the Association for Dental Prosthesis changed its name to the Clinical Dental Technicians Association. It was also realised that education would be the key issue to advance the profession. Unfortunately, because of restrictions within the Dentist Act 1984, the Association had to seek its educational program from outside the United Kingdom.

The Association approached George Brown College in Toronto, Canada, which had been delivering diploma courses in clinical dental technology for the previous 25 years. The Association members then embarked on a 2.5 year programme of education which resulted in the award of a diploma from George Brown College.

During this process the General Dental Council had eventually agreed with the recommendations of the Nuffield Report and began the process of changing the Dentist Act 1984 to allow for the registration and regulation of Dental Care Professionals.

The result of these changes came to fruition during the early part of 2007 when registers opened for Dental Nurses, Dental Technicians, Dental Hygienists/Therapists, Orthodontic Therapists and Clinical Dental Technicians.

Prior to registration as Clinical Dental Technician, holders of the George Brown College diploma were required to fill a knowledge gap. A partnership was formed between George Brown College, the Clinical Dental Technicians Association and the Faculty of General Dental Practice at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The Royal College provided a series of courses which resulted in the award of a Royal College diploma.

Completion of this program has now allowed Clinical Dental Technicians to register with the General Dental Council with a qualification DipCDT(RCS) Eng.

The first registered Clinical Dental Technicians in the United Kingdom were placed on the General Dental Council register in March 2007.