Certified Practitioner
A new system for higher skills credentialing in dentistry
Nowadays, getting a qualification is not enough to show your capability at a more advanced level, and getting more qualifications is just not an appropriate step for many advanced practitioners in dentistry. We have the answer. Certified Practitioner.
| ✓ specific to key areas of practice in primary care dentistry |
| ✓ validating the skills that you have acquired |
| ✓ demonstrating that you have acquired a wealth of experience in practice, over time |
| ✓ showing that your experience is underpinned with sound foundations of knowledge |
| ✓ re-certified every five years |
| ✓ meeting a standard – there is no competitive element |
A clear demonstration of accomplishment in your discipline
Our clinical credentialing is benchmarked against NHS Level 2 complexity of treatment, and typically aligns with the capability demonstrated in an accredited, skills-based postgraduate diploma.
For dentists
Certified Practitioner recognition is now being rolled out for both UK-based dentists and those practising elsewhere in the fields of practice below.
What evidence is required for Certified Practitioner?
Initial credentialing
This table sets out a general overview of the evidence we will ask you to submit for credentialing. There are templates provided for each of the evidence requirements.
Once enrolled, we can guide you on the gathering of an appropriate diversity of logbook and portfolio cases for assessment. With a reasonable throughput of cases in your practice, we expect you will have time after enrolment to gather your cases.
| Evidence | ||
| At the time of registration | ||
| Career summary | Showing context of appropriate clinical practice | Template career summary |
| Training log and/or accredited qualification | Aligned to our syllabus specification | Template training log Uploaded certificates |
| Referees | Two Registrants confirming validity of the entire application | Letters of confirmation |
| At registration or later | ||
| Demonstration of practice suitability | Demonstrating practice in an appropriate environment | Clinical audit, Multi-source feedback Patient survey |
| Logbook of cases | listing a minimum number of recent cases, citing clinical context & complexity, with reflection | Template logbook |
| Portfolio of cases | Assessed by case-based discussion | Template portfolio |
Recredentialing (after five years)
Our credentialing is valid for five years, after which you will be required to undertake a more modest assessment to maintain your credentialing for a further five years.
The recredentialing assessment also applies for initial credentialing of currently active NHS Level 2 Performers.
The application pack for recredentialing comprises:
- A portfolio of only TWO cases
- A logbook of 25 cases for which the course of treatment has been completed within the past three years
- A clinical audit to show quality improvement
Recognition
We will publish a Register of Certified Practitioners in each designated field of practice, and for Members & Fellows, the designation – Cert Pract (Endo) – will feature in the College’s Register of Members & Fellows, marking out your expertise.
A Register of Certified Practitioners will be open to the public and patients, and we are confident will be reflected across other patient-facing referral resources.
The College is dedicated to working with stakeholder organisations to ensure that, over time, recognition can be given by others for your CGDent credentials.
Fees
The single fee covers assessment and full five year period of validity for credentialing, and may be eligible for tax relief.
| Total price (one payment for full five years) | Re-credentialing (for further five years) | ||||
| Non-member | £3500 equates to £700 pa | £3000 | |||
| Includes Assessment Fee (non-refundable) | £1000 | £500 | |||
| Includes 5 year Credentialing Fee (refundable if unsuccessful or application process abandoned) | £2500 | £2500 | |||
| Fellow Associate Fellow | £2500 equates to £500 pa | £2000 | |||
| Includes Assessment Fee (non-refundable) | £1000 | £500 | |||
| Includes 5 year Credentialing Fee (refundable if unsuccessful or application process abandoned) | £1500 | £1500 |
Applicants who are not Fellows or Associate Fellows of the College may apply at the Fellows’ rate and will automatically be admitted as an Associate Fellow on successful completion of the assessment.
Those applying as a Fellow or Associate Fellow must maintain that status to remain on the Register of Certified Practitioners.
If your application is not successful, you may resubmit on payment of a new Assessment Fee.
The College reserves the right to remove Certified Practitioners from the Register if (in the judgement of the College Council) they bring the scheme into disrepute by failing to maintain the professional standards expected in the scheme, with a pro rata refund of the Credentialing Fee.
Templates for submission
Completed templates (in MS Word) should be printed to PDF files (or converted to PDF) and uploaded in that format.
1. Career summary (all credentials)
2. Training log (all credentials)
3. Clinical log book (Endodontics)
4. Clinical portfolio (Endodontics)
5. Clinical audit (all credentials)
The submission should be a report of the audit, which will be no more than 4 sides of A4, together with the anonymised data capture sheet.
BDA guidance on Clinical Audit
6. Referee declaration (all credentials)
Apply and pay now
The scheme is now open for Endodontics, with other fields of practice opening later in 2026.
You will need to have completed the relevant template forms for uploading before submitting your application. We strongly recommend that you refer to the curriculum for your field of practice (in the relevant following section, below) before submitting your application.
Your overall fee comprises an Assessment fee and a Credentialing fee valid for five years. The Credentialing Fee is refundable if your application does not succeed.
You will also need to upload supporting evidence to the Evidence & Qualifications Portal↗ and the Clinical Images Portal (available soon).
When we have confirmed your completed and accepted application, we will contact you to arrange your case-based discussion with the Assessors.
Endodontics
now open for applications
The College’s Certified Practitioner scheme for Endodontics is intended to validate the knowledge and skills of a dental practitioner with experience of complex treatment in a primary care context (aligning with Level 2 in the context of NHS commissioning for England, and the British Endodontic Society’s own categorisation for complex cases). The scheme is distinct to that for Specialist recognition, for which there is a separate pathway.
Our credentialing is valid for five years, with a process of re-credentialing every five years thereafter. It’s demanding, but that goes with a depth of credibility – backed by the College of General Dentistry, with a 30 year heritage of transformational skills development in primary care dentistry. Our Certified Practitioner in Endodontics credentialing is also supported by the British Endodontic Society, who have been closely involved.
Implant Dentistry
Our credentialing for Implant Dentistry will launch in 2026
Oral Surgery
Our credentialing in Oral Surgery will launch in 2026.
Future development
other fields of practice, and the wider oral health team
Other fields of practice for Dentists
We will be announcing credentialing schemes for other fields of practice in the coming months.
Other team roles
We are working to develop Certified Practitioner schemes of enhanced skills for all roles in the oral healthcare team, for roll-out from 2026.
Policies & protocols
The attached document sets out policies and protocols for the benefit of (1) applicants, (2) referees, (3) the Assessment Panel, and (4) the Assessment Board.
Conduct of assessment
Applications will be reviewed initially by staff, to ensure that the application is complete.
Two qualified assessors will review your completed application. The Assessors will be Fellows of the College (and, for Endodontics, will include a GDC Registered Specialist). In time, we will include Assessors who are themselves Certified Practitioners.
If the application meets the expected standard, you will be invited for a case-based discussion of your submitted portfolio cases with the assigned Assessors, to be conducted online. The Assessors will ask questions that provide the opportunity for you to demonstrate that you have a full understanding of the cases that you have submitted, and that they are your own work.
We aim to complete the assessment process within one month of receipt of your application, subject to your availability for the case-based discussion, and that of the Assessors.
You will receive clear feedback if the application is found to be deficient, and will receive a refund of the credentialing portion of the fee if you do not wish to resubmit. You may resubmit a new application, on fresh payment of the Assessment Fee.
Appeals
You may appeal if your application is not successful, but only on grounds of the assessment not being properly conducted, in line with our protocols. You may not appeal on grounds of disagreeing with the clinical, technical or academic judgement of our Assessment Panel. A successful appeal may be resolved by re-running the assessment (with a new Assessment Panel), but not by changing the decision of the original Assessment Panel.
