If there's one feeling that unites almost every overseas dentist on the ORE pathway, it's this: a low-level, persistent anxiety about the waiting list. Not the exam itself — the queue to even sit it.
It's a strange kind of stress, because it's largely outside your control, and yet it affects everything: when you can plan to move, when you can give notice at your current job, when you can tell your family "this is happening."
How big has the ORE waiting list actually been?
In April 2025, the GDC confirmed there were approximately 5,000 candidates on the combined waiting lists for ORE Part 1 and Part 2. For context, Dental Protection had earlier reported the waiting list increased by 35% in a single year, comparing 2021 to 2022 figures — so this isn't a new problem, it's one that's been building for years, accelerated partly by the COVID-era suspension of the exam.
Why ORE Part 1 and Part 2 capacity is genuinely different now
The GDC has announced a substantial overhaul, with a new exam delivery contract that they say could eventually support up to 1,500 internationally qualified dentists joining the register each year — up from 354 in 2024. That's roughly a four-fold increase, once fully scaled.
The numbers for the first contract year show Part 1 capacity rising from 1,800 to 2,400 places annually, and Part 2 from 720 to 944 — with Part 2 expected to reach 1,500 by the third year of the contract.
What this means practically for overseas dentists on the ORE waiting list
If you're already on the waiting list: the increased capacity should, over time, mean shorter waits than the recent past. But "over time" is the key phrase — the first sittings under the new contract begin in August 2026, and it will take time for the system to work through the existing backlog.
If you're nearing the five-year limit for Part 2 attempts, you should be receiving priority access communications from the GDC. If you believe this applies to you and you haven't heard anything, contact the GDC's examinations team directly.
If you're newly eligible and just starting this process, the landscape you're entering is genuinely better than the one candidates faced 18 months ago — even if it doesn't feel that way when you're staring at booking dates that are still months away.
The part that's hard to plan around
The uncertainty — not knowing exactly when your sitting will come, whether you'll get a place when booking opens, whether the system will hold up under demand — is real, and it affects real decisions about when to resign from a job, when to commit to moving, when to tell family members who are waiting for news.
What we'd suggest: use the waiting time as preparation time, not as dead time. Candidates who arrive at their sitting having used the wait productively tend to feel more in control on exam day — even if the wait itself was longer than they'd hoped.
Where to get reliable updates
The GDC publishes booking dates and news directly on their website — more reliable than forum posts or secondhand information. Bookmark the ORE booking dates page and check it periodically.
Turn waiting time into preparation time. ORESuccess gives you full access to the ORE clinical syllabus and CPD modules now, so you're ready the moment your booking comes through. Start your 7-day free trial.
Waiting list figures and capacity projections are based on GDC and Parliamentary statements as of mid-2026 and are subject to change as the new exam contract rolls out.