Information for FGDP members

The College of General Dentistry brings to fruition the long-held ambition for dentistry to stand tall within wider healthcare as a professional community, working for patients – ultimately with Royal Charter. FGDP(UK) has long worked toward that vision. For itself, FGDP has wanted a clearer identity, agility in its business, and a stronger focus in its work for its members. To achieve this, FGDP will be transferring to the College from 1 July 2021.

We will provide you with an independent home for dental practitioners and members of the wider dental team, working across primary care and general dentistry. The College provides an historic opportunity to draw the dental team together in pursuit of excellence in practice, whilst promoting your own commitment to excellence.

We aim to provide a voice of authority in dentistry – by the profession and for the profession. The new College will:

• serve the public and patients by cultivating excellence in oral healthcare, thereby contributing to everyone’s wellbeing
• achieve this by establishing evidence-based guidance and standards for dentistry, embedded within a strong professional community of practice 
• foster quality in practice for dental professionals through their education and training, career development and lifelong learning. 

As an FGDP member you will be invited to transfer your membership to the College of General Dentistry from the time when we assume the Faculty’s responsibilities on 1 July 2021. In doing this, you will continue to be part of a professional body that is looking after your interests as a dental professional.

You will hear from the RCS England asking you whether you want to transfer your membership to the College. You can be a member of both organisations as you also have the option to remain a member of RCS England through the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) (if you meet the eligibility criteria).

You will transfer at the same level of membership as you currently hold with FGDP. The equivalent memberships are shown in the table below. 

You will need to respond to the communication sent by RCS England asking whether you wish to join the College, and if you do whether you give your permission for your data to be transferred. Then on or after the 1 July, you will need to update your payment details. We will take care of everything else.

Yes you can. We have launched a Privilege Member scheme ahead of the launch of full membership on 1 July. This places you in the vanguard of our efforts to build a truly authoritative College, and you will be recognised as such with the College’s postnominals.

Joint members, including MJDF members, will also be invited make a choice regarding your membership preference. If you choose to remain a member of FDS, but also wish to join the College, the two memberships will be treated separately by the two organisations. Your membership benefits and subscription will therefore reflect this.

The College of General Dentistry will be completely independent. Association with RCS England can be maintained through membership of FDS.

Membership fees at the College of General Dentistry will remain competitive. The College will be launching its full membership scheme on 1 July 2021. The College will continue to tailor fees to recognise the diverse circumstances and needs of the full dental team. 

Fees from 1 July 2021.

If, following the transfer of your membership from FGDP(UK) to CGDent, the CGDent fee is higher, the College will honour the lower FGDP(UK) rate for the remainder of your membership year. If the College fee is lower, you will pay the lower rate for the remainder of your membership year. 

Transferring members who paid their annual membership in full to FGDP(UK) in April, or October will not be required to make further payments for the remainder of their membership year, as your fees equivalent to July to March or July to September, (depending on your last renewal date) will be transferred to CGDent. Where CGDent fees are lower, we will extend your membership year to compensate for the differential. 

Transferring members who paid FGDP(UK) by monthly direct debit, will receive instructions to set up a new direct debit mandate for CGDent. Your last direct debit payment to FGDP(UK) will be in June, and your first to CGDent will be in July.

We expect to transfer the FGDP to the College with effect from 1 July 2021. 

No, memberships will not be automatically transferred to the College. You will be invited to make a choice regarding your membership. If you do not confirm your preference, your FGDP membership will cease and no further fees will be due.

When the transfer takes place, you may have an unexpired term of membership, and we will ensure that you have clear options in relation to your chosen organisation, the fees you have paid and the membership you are entitled to.

We will be requesting your permission to transfer some relevant data currently held by FGDP(UK) to the College, in accordance with data protection regulations. As the College is taking over the responsibilities of FGDP it has a ‘legitimate interest’ in receiving the data. No data will be shared with the College without your permission. 

Incorporation by Charter is a prestigious way of acquiring legal personality and reflects the high status of that body.  The College of General Dentistry will be seeking chartered status for the new College, along with permission to use ‘Royal’ in its title. This will not happen immediately but discussions are currently ongoing with Privy Council, who deal with Charter applications, and advise the sovereign on granting the status. The incorporation by Charter and granting of Royal status cannot be made until FGDP(UK) has fully transferred to the College of General Dentistry.  

Information pertaining to postnominal letters can be found on our designated post-nominals page.

Participants already enrolled in FGDP(UK) courses, which are awarded by RCS England, will still receive an RCS England award on successful completion of their studies after the transfer. 

The College of General Dentistry is a registered company (number 02586636) and charity (1002769) registered at Kemp House, 152-160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX. The College has a Board of Trustees in place and is running as a ‘going concern’. More details at https://cgdent.uk.