The College is now accepting applications for the next cohort of its Postgraduate Diploma programme in Primary Care Orthodontics, starting in June.
The comprehensive Level 7 programme is designed to give General Dental Practitioners the skills and knowledge needed to treat more complex malocclusions, including extraction cases, taking them up to just below specialist training level. It covers all appliance systems – fixed functional, aligners, lingual and Inman – and includes both the theory and practical aspects of orthodontic care.
Through a combination of lectures, seminar and practical sessions, the syllabus includes:
- Records, assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning
- Treatment planning for Class I, Class II div1, Class II div 2 and Class III malocclusions
- Radiography – Ceph/OPG/CBCT
- Fixed appliances
- Lingual appliances
- Removable appliances
- Functionals
- Retention
- Aetiology of malocclusion, growth & development
- Development of the dentition and tooth movement
- Dental material & biomechanics
- Multidisciplinary care, including restorative, periodontics & surgery
- Critical reading skills
- Health education, health & safety, legislation and audit
- Marketing and practice management
During the programme, which is limited to 12 places, students will discuss multiple new cases, participate in hands-on practical sessions and weekly online planning discussions, and will be given one-to-one mentoring by specialists for ten treated cases. The 2024-26 programme is supported by six training blocks, five of three days and one of four days, which take place in June and October 2024, and February, June, September and December 2025.
To ensure enough case-flow and experience, the course is recommended for dentists who have treated at least ten fixed cases, are treating a minimum of ten orthodontic cases per annum, and are familiar with using fixed appliances.
The 120 credit programme, including ongoing informal and formal assessment, is delivered by IAS Academy, with a final examination held by the College.
It is led by Professor Ross Hobson, a specialist orthodontist, former Head of Orthodontic MSc/Specialist training at Newcastle University, and former Chair in Orthodontics at the University of Central Lancashire. He holds a Master’s in Dental Surgery and PhD from Newcastle, a Membership in Orthodontics at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, is a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and was the first dentist to be awarded the Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.
Holders of the CGDent Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics (DipPCOrth) are eligible for Associate Fellowship of the College, and the qualification also satisfies the Clinical domain of Fellowship.
Professor Hobson is also the presenter of the College’s Introduction to Orthodontics series, which explore the possibilities and limitations of orthodontic treatment with fixed braces and provide an insight into the postgraduate diploma programme. The webinars are free to view on-demand by College members, who can also claim free CPD certificates.
- Webinar 1: Assessment, Diagnosis and Case Selection
- Webinar 2: Principles of Treatment Planning
- Webinar 3: Appliances, Retention & Training
Prof Hobson also discusses the complexity and importance of correct assessment and diagnosis of a patient before orthodontic treatment in his blog post, Orthodontics in general dentistry – an unknown, unknown
