Dr Mick Horton FCGDent, Chair of Trustees and co-host of the recent Presidential Q&A, reviews the College’s achievements over the past twelve months.
As we look forward to celebrating our fifth anniversary this summer, it’s worth reflecting on our journey in the historic establishment of a College for dentistry, which had been an aspiration for 150 years.
We started with the transfer of an initial, dentist-only membership from the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FGDP(UK)). Since then, we have shaped our own distinct, whole-team approach, opening our arms to those amongst the wider team who have so much to contribute to the intellectual life of the organisation, and bringing their distinct perspectives on the development of our professional community.
FGDP(UK) made an indelible contribution, over thirty years, in postgraduate skills-based qualification, and in setting standards for practice. That legacy has been built upon by the College of General Dentistry, and transformed for a different age.
Our Summer Reception for 2025 was held in the wonderful Sheffield Cutlers Hall, which is a worthy competitor to its London namesake in its historic building and elegant interiors – a fine setting for our key event in the year. 2025 saw the introduction of the College Lecture, the inaugural lecture given by Martin Kelleher FCGDent. His incisive analysis provides a provocative opening salvo for the College’s interests in the philosophy of care – about which our Members and Fellows will be hearing much more.
In January 2026, we opened our long-planned credentialing scheme, Certified Practitioner, in response to an ever-more confusing market for postgraduate training, to give patients and practitioners alike a clear mark of advanced capability. The first credential, for Endodontics, is now open for applications, and others are planned for opening in 2026. It is sad to see the final cohort of our renowned Diploma in Restorative Dentistry completing their programme this year, but we are no less committed to career and skills development for all dental professionals and credentialing provides our way forward.
Credentialing was one focus of a key meeting on Implant Dentistry, at our Fellows Winter Reception this year. It also provided an opportunity to hear about the development of the new edition of Training Standards in Implant Dentistry, now in development. Implant Dentistry is just one of the many fields of practice in which the College is making its mark.
Fellowship of the College remains the ultimate mark of accomplishment for our professional community, and in 2025 we updated our criteria for admission, to reach across a broader range of experience amongst practitioners – whilst holding true to the standard we have set. The new scheme also widens the opportunities for Associate Fellowship, in different Domains of practice, and introduced a new Role Fellow designation for members of the wider team, for whom achievement across two Domains can now be recognised.
Leadership is an elusive quality that the College is interested to develop amongst our community of practice. We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Prof Sreenivas Koka FCGDent, who has Guest Edited our recent thematic issue of the Primary Dental Journal, and ran a Masterclass in Leadership (together with his colleague Dr Elizabeth Carr FCGDent) in the autumn. The popular Masterclass will run again this September.
On a related theme, we were grateful to Prof Avijit Banerjee FCGDent, (now) Dean of the Faculty of Dentists, for his generous contribution to a new Foundation Nakao -CGDent award in mentoring and coaching for the wider dental team. This award further highlights the holistic approach that the College espouses for team development, and we plan a further round of the award in 2026.
In close partnership with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, the College’s focus on early careers has continued to expand, with the development of a further clinical award offering fantastic training opportunities, in addition to several one-day symposia around the UK, and more activities in the pipeline.
The end of the year has been marked by the completion of a very successful fundraising campaign, investing the College with its own Coat of Arms and associated branding. As we look forward to the prospect of a Royal Charter – our key aim in consolidating the authority of the College, alongside its Royal College healthcare peers – our Coat of Arms stands out with pride as a marker of our values, commitment and distinct identity. Our thanks are extended to Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent in leading the campaign, and to the many generous donors who made it possible.
