The College has announced that Catherine Rutland FCGDent will be delivering the 2026 College Lecture.
The Ethical Shield: Protecting enamel, professional integrity and patient smiles will explore how dental professionals can continuously integrate ethical values into their working lives in order to provide patients with assurance and confidence in the care they receive.
This will be the second annual College Lecture, and will build on both Martin Kelleher’s inaugural College Lecture, Satisficing standards in dentistry, and on the rich legacy of Malcolm Pendlebury Lectures previously hosted by the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP).
Dr Rutland is Head of Clinical and Policy at Dentaid, representing the dental charity across the profession and engaging with MPs, public health teams and commissioners. She is also a Board Member of Dental Protection, which indemnifies and supports 70,000 dental professionals worldwide, and a Non-Executive Director and Council Member of the Medical Protection Society, which has a further 245,000 medical professional members in 40 countries. Part of the General Dental Council’s Dental Leadership Network, she is a Trustee of the Dentists’ Health Support Trust, which supports dentists facing mental health and addiction challenges, and was appointed a Trustee of the College of General Dentistry in 2026. She was previously Director of Policy and Clinical Affairs at the Association of Dental Groups, whose members work with over 22,000 registered dental professionals in treating over 10 million dental patients, and Clinical Director at Simplyhealth, including Denplan, where she chaired both the Clinical Governance Committee and the Denplan Excel Board.
After qualifying as a dentist in 1992 from the University of Leeds, where she achieved a Distinction in oral surgery, she spent two and a half years in secondary care as a House Officer in Leeds and Senior House Officer in Newcastle before moving into general dental practice. She completed Vocational Training in Sunderland and spent a year there as an associate GDP before practising in Reading for three years. From 2000-2019, she was Principal Dental Surgeon and a joint partner at a private dental practice in Thatcham, West Berkshire. She joined Denplan as a Dental Advisor in 2010, and was later promoted to Senior Dental Advisor, Head of Professional Support Services and Head Dental Officer before working there full-time from 2019. In 2013, she completed a Master’s degree in Medical Ethics and Law at King’s College London, writing her dissertation on whether both professional integrity and patient autonomy can be satisfied in fulfilling patients’ cosmetic dental desires. She became a Certified Member of the Institute of Risk Management in 2015 and was awarded a Chartered Management Institute Level 7 Certificate in Leadership Mentoring and Coaching in 2016. She became a Fellow of the College in 2023, and in 2024 was a keynote speaker at the CGDent Scotland Annual Study Day, the College’s largest annual CPD event, lecturing on ethical and legal considerations in the provision of aesthetic and cosmetic dental procedures.
The College of General Dentistry Lecture 2026 will take place at 3pm on Thursday 25 June in the historic Cutlers’ Hall in London, and is the centrepiece of the Summer Day programme of events marking the College’s fifth anniversary. The other Summer Day events include the Fellows’ Summer Reception, the inaugural Academic Court Convention, and a lunch for retired members.
All dental professionals, and others with professional interests in contemporary dental practice, are eligible to attend the 2026 College Lecture. Discounted places are available to College members.
To secure your place, click the button below:
For further information, visit the College’s events pages.
