Dental Professionals Hearings Service determination — review hearing
Suspended indefinitely
The regulator’s term: indefinite suspension
What does “suspended indefinitely” mean?
An indefinite suspension is a pause on the right to practise with no fixed end date. The practitioner cannot work in the regulated profession until the regulator reviews the case and decides the suspension can be lifted. Indefinite suspensions are imposed in the most serious cases, often where a fixed period would not adequately protect the public.
Concerning James McMurray, dentist (General Dental Council 277023).
Decision date: 9 April 2026 · Hearing started 9 April 2026
In plain English
The GDC tribunal decided to suspend Mr McMurray from the dentist register indefinitely. This was the third review of a suspension first imposed in October 2023 for clinical failings during his vocational training, including issues with caries removal, infection control and radiograph technique. The Committee found Mr McMurray had not engaged with the process or provided evidence of remediation, and indefinite suspension was appropriate. He may apply for a review if he later wishes to engage.
Charges
This was the third review of a substantive suspension order originally imposed by the Professional Conduct Committee in October 2023. The initial case found proved a wide range of clinical failings during Mr McMurray's vocational training, including failing to adequately remove caries on three patients, not adequately using a matrix strip, not using an intra-oral finger rest, failing to follow IR(ME)R 2017 radiographic guidelines, providing an inadequate standard of cross-infection control, not correctly charting retained roots, not updating medical histories, not making meaningful progress with a child patient's root canal treatment, and using a 3-in-1 syringe to blow air into an extraction site. The Committee found these amounted to misconduct and deficient professional performance.
Findings
The Committee found Mr McMurray's fitness to practise remained impaired by reason of misconduct and deficient professional performance. There had been no material change since the initial hearing: Mr McMurray had completely disengaged from proceedings and provided no evidence of insight or remediation. The Committee directed indefinite suspension under section 27C(1)(d) of the Dentists Act 1984, concluding that further fixed-period reviews would not serve the public interest given his stated intention to leave the profession.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Dental Professionals Hearings Service determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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