College of General Dentistry News

College seeks two new Trustees

The College of General Dentistry is seeking two Trustees – one dental and one independent – to help us in our historic mission to build a future Royal College for dentistry.

Our dental Trustees are registered dental professionals, and our independent Trustees come from outside of dentistry. Both are central to the effective delivery of our mission, contributing to custodianship of the organisation, and require a thorough appreciation of the role of a Trustee in a modern charity and professional membership body.

The Trustee Board, chaired by Dr Mick Horton FCGDent, works alongside the elected Council of the College, which oversees the professional affairs of the organisation and is chaired by the President of the College, Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent. Trustees must demonstrate high standards of behaviour and attitude, reflecting the inclusive professionalism that we seek to embody and contributing to the development of the organisation’s values. They will appreciate the business imperatives underpinning a growing organisation, reconciling financial viability with delivery of our overall mission in the patient and public interest. Trustees are appointed for a term of three years.

The role profile for both Trustee positions is available below:

Profile for the role of Trustee

Dental Trustee

For the position of Dental Trustee, you must be a registered dental professional. We are particularly interested in attracting people who can help us to engage widely across the dental team, as we seek to reflect their wide range of backgrounds and aspirations. The proportion of women and dental professionals from different backgrounds on the Register is growing, and we want our Trustee Board to be truly inclusive and reflective of our community.

Independent Trustee

Our independent Trustees, who come from outside dentistry, play a central role in the effective delivery of our mission.

The Board of Trustees has identified a need to supplement their skills in a key area and would be particularly keen for applications from those with experience of entrepreneurial development in a not-for-profit context and / or those with membership and professional body development.

For both positions, applicants should email their CV and a covering letter, citing two referees, to [email protected]

Deadline for applications:

Independent Trustee – Tuesday 5th September 2023. Dental Trustee – Sunday 16 July 2023.

It is intended that appointees will be in place by October 2023.

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College of General Dentistry News

Fellowship by equivalence: further update

The list of fellowships which qualify applicants for Fellowship of the College by means of equivalence has been amended.

A year after the College first published Fellowship criteria, a review carried out on behalf of the College Council examined the assessment procedures and required training in relation to those qualifications already deemed equivalent, as well as to a number of additional overseas qualifications.

Fellows of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (FRCDC) and the College of Dentistry of South Africa (FCD(SA)), and dentists who have been Board Certified by the American Board of General Dentistry, are all now eligible for Fellowship of CGDent by equivalence.

These are in addition to Fellows of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FFGDP(UK)); of the Royal Colleges of the UK and Ireland, their Faculties of Dental Surgery (FDS) or Dentistry (FFD); and of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (FRACDS), all of whom were already deemed to be of equivalent standing.

Honorary Fellows of the College (FCGDent(Hon.)) or former Faculty (FFGDP(UK)(Hon.)) who meet the College’s standard membership requirements may also be admitted to full Fellowship by equivalence.

However, Fellowship of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry will no longer be accepted for College Fellowship applications by means of equivalence; but since it is still considered a robust assessment of skills in implant dentistry, it has been added to the list of ‘gateway’ qualifications which provide automatic satisfaction of the Clinical domain for Fellowship applications by means of experience.

The criteria for automatic eligibility for Life Fellowship of the College have been similarly adjusted in light of the review.

Qualifications deemed equivalent will continue to be reviewed periodically, and additional qualifications may be determined to be equivalent over time.

Full details of the requirements for Fellowship are available via the link below.

FELLOWSHIP CRITERIA

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A previous update to Fellowship by means of equivalence was made on 23 February 2023

College of General Dentistry Blog

The right to smile

David Shiers, Gordon Johnston and Vishal Aggarwal FCGDent believe that poor oral health need not be an inevitable consequence of experiencing severe mental illness.

Left to right: David Shiers, Gordon Johnston, Vishal Aggarwal FCGDent

In 2023 there can be no mental health without physical health, and no physical health without oral health. A recent bulletin by the Chief Dental Officer for England highlighted the scale of the challenge in addressing inequality in oral health for people with severe mental illness:

  • On average people with severe mental illness are less likely to engage with oral healthcare, with a studyfinding that only 75% of schizophrenia patients brushed their teeth daily, compared to 96% in the general population.
  • Poor mental health is often linked to other factors such as homelessness or substance use, which also have consequences for oral health.
  • In a meta-analysis of studies, patients with severe mental illness were almost 50 times as likely to have periodontal disease.
  • Patients with eating disorders had five times the odds of dental erosion. In patients with self-induced vomiting, the erosion rate was seven times higher.

Poor oral health may not be simply experienced as painful tooth decay or inflamed gums.  It can have a major impact on the quality of peoples’ lives, including feeling ashamed to open your mouth because of bad breath or unsightly teeth affects how you feel about yourself. Lacking the confidence to laugh, smile, or be close to others, relationships can suffer, and functions as basic as talking and eating may be impaired. 

Moreover, poor oral health may interact with other health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. For instance, poor oral health can upset diabetes control, while diabetes makes gum disease more likely.  Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are particularly prevalent in this population, potentially creating a vicious cycle of interdependent difficulties for an individual.

Yet oral health is a forgotten health inequality. There is a growing interest in the importance of protecting the physical health of people with severe mental illness, but while welcome targets and strategies exist to tackle health inequalities for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, oral health remains largely ignored.  Research has also largely ignored the need to improve outcomes for oral health of this vulnerable group.  We need more understanding of what interventions work best, particularly in the early phase of psychosis; yet only one study to date has investigated this, The Three Shires study, which found that monitoring alone may be insufficient to change oral health outcome.

So what can general dental teams do? Oral health practitioners know that an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure, and dental diseases like tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer are preventable if good oral self-care behaviours are implemented at the outset. These include regular toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste, reducing frequency of sugar intake, and cessation of smoking and alcohol intake. We therefore need to shift our focus from ‘downstream’ treatments that commonly involve extraction of teeth and are offered in crisis for advanced tooth decay and gum disease, to ‘upstream’ prevention and early intervention when a diagnosis of severe mental illness is first established.

While the importance of supporting the physical health needs of people experiencing severe mental illness is now widely accepted, the consensus statement The Right to Smile advocates for a ‘whole-person’ approach which recognises that there can be no health without oral health.  

To achieve this requires a ‘whole team’ approach right from the start, prioritising oral health from the onset of severe mental illness. The patient and their close supporters such as family must be actively engaged at the centre of the team in discussions about oral health. The mental health practitioner or team responsible for early diagnosis and treatment should consider oral health needs from the outset. The dental professional is responsible for ensuring optimal oral health but should also be alert to possible severe mental illness in individuals attending with unusual dental presentations. They must also be aware that people with psychosis are a high-risk group for poor oral health including oral cancer. Finally, commissioners need to prioritise dental access for people with severe mental illness as a vulnerable group, for instance ensuring the availability of free or subsidised care.

There are many opportunities for dental services to support people with severe mental illness. They can recognise and prioritise their oral health needs by initiating early intervention to prevent poor oral health outcomes. They can adopt a whole-person approach in managing the impact of poor oral health on severe mental illness, particularly in relation to social avoidance from poor oral health outcomes related to bad breath and poor aesthetics. And they can be aware of dental presentations of severe mental illness which can alert to a possible diagnosis, and provide immediate onward referral to mental health services if severe mental illness is suspected from dental presentations.

It’s time to raise the expectations of those using mental health services to receive higher standards of oral healthcare. If we equip people with the right knowledge and skills, while supporting the adoption of healthy routines including regular dental check-ups before things go wrong, we can make a real difference to an individual’s health and their wellbeing.

Vishal Aggarwal FCGDent is a clinical academic dentist, currently Clinical Associate Professor in acute dental care and chronic pain at University of Leeds Dental School, with research and clinical interests including improving oral health outcomes in vulnerable populations. David Shiers is a carer and former Joint National Lead for the Early Intervention in Psychosis Development Programme (2004-10), and an expert advisor for the NICE Centre for Guidelines. Gordon Johnston is a peer researcher with lived experience of bipolar.

The Right to Smile consensus statement was developed by an oral health group spanning experts with lived experience and colleagues from primary care, mental health, and dentistry. The group was established by the Closing the Gap Network

Download The Right To Smile consensus 

References:

  • NHS England and NHS Improvement, Special focus: Dentistry and patients with mental illness. Your NHS dentistry and oral health update. 2021 Nov; issue 32. https://createsend.com/t/d-79BC6639C9930B492540EF23F30FEDED
  • McCreadie, R.G., Stevens, H., Henderson, J., Hall, D., McCaul, R., Filik, R., Young, G., Sutch, G., Kanagaratnam, G., Perrington, S., McKendrick, J., Stephenson, D. and Burns, T. (2004), The dental health of people with schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 110: 306-310. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00373.x
  • Adams, C. E., Wells, N. C., Clifton, A., Jones, H., Simpson, J., Tosh, G., … & Aggarwal, V. R. 2018. Monitoring oral health of people in Early Intervention for Psychosis (EIP) teams: The extended Three Shires randomised trial. Int J Nurs Stud, 77, 106-114.   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29078109/
  • Kisely S, Baghaie H, Lalloo R, Siskind D, Johnson NW. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between poor oral health and severe mental illness. Psychosom Med. 2015 Jan;77(1):83-92. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000135. PMID: 25526527.
  • Turner E, Berry K, Aggarwal VR, Quinlivan L, Villanueva T, Palmier-Claus J. Oral health self-care behaviours in serious mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2022 Jan;145(1):29-41. doi: 10.1111/acps.13308.
  • Kang J, Palmier-Claus J, Wu J, Shiers D, Larvin H, Doran T, Aggarwal VR. 2022. Periodontal disease in people with a history of psychosis: Results from the UK Biobank Population-based Study. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
  • Turner E, Berry K, Quinlivan L, Shiers D, Aggarwal V, Palmier-Claus J. 2023. Understanding the relationship between oral health and psychosis: qualitative analysis. British Journal of Psychiatry. 9(3)
  • Elliott E, Sanger E, Shiers D, Aggarwal VR. 2022. Why does Patient Mental Health Matter? Part 3: Dental Self-Neglect as a Consequence of Psychiatric Conditions. Dental Update.
  • Elliott E, Sanger E, Shiers D, Aggarwal VR. 2022. Why does Patient Mental Health Matter? Part 2: Orofacial Obsessions as a Consequence of Psychiatric Conditions. Dental Update.
  • Aggarwal VR, Sanger E, Shiers D, Girdler J, Elliott E. 2022. Why does Patient Mental Health Matter? Part 5: Chronic orofacial pain as a consequence of psychiatric disorders. Dental Update.
  • Elliott E, Sanger E, Shiers D, Aggarwal VR. 2022. Why does Patient Mental Health Matter? Part 4: Non-carious Tooth Surface Loss as a Consequence of Psychiatric Conditions. Dental Update.

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College of General Dentistry News

College introduces Life Fellowship

The College has introduced Life Fellowship as a new type of membership for retired Fellows.

It is intended that Life Fellowship will make a greatly appreciated contribution to the mission of the College, elevating the standing of dentistry amongst other healthcare disciplines and helping to take the College on its way to Royal College standing.

It provides an opportunity for retired Fellows, and others whose careers meet the requirements of Fellowship, to make a life-long commitment to the College, to stay connected to the profession, and to retain the recognition earned during their careers throughout their retirement.

Life Fellows will enjoy all the usual benefits of retired membership, and the additional benefits of fellowship, for life. These include eligibility to attend the College’s regular Fellows’ Receptions, to join the 1992 Circle, and to continue to use their Fellowship post-nominals.

“The more Life Fellows, the stronger the College.”

Prof Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, President Emeritus of the College

Life Fellows must be at least 65 years old and fully retired from dentistry – i.e. no longer practising and no longer registered with the General Dental Council or any equivalent overseas regulatory or licensing body – and must remain in good standing within the profession.

Subject to these requirements, eligibility for Life Fellowship is automatic for current or former Fellows of the:

  • College of General Dentistry (FCGDent or FCGDent(Hon.))
  • former Faculty of General Dental Practice (FFGDP(UK) or FFGDP(UK)(Hon.))
  • Faculties of Dental Surgery (FDS) or Dentistry (FFD) of the Royal Colleges of the UK or Ireland
  • Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (FRACDS)

Additional eligibility criteria are expected to be announced soon.

All other retired dental professionals are also encouraged to apply for Life Fellowship if their career history meets the required standards of Fellowship. A Life Membership option is also being developed.

The one-off fee for Life Fellowship is £2,500 for dentists, £1,700 for dental therapists, dental hygienists, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists, and £850 for dental nurses.

As the College is a registered charity, the fee may be treated as a donation, in which case if the individual approves Gift Aid they may claim income tax relief on the difference between their marginal rate and the basic rate (and in some circumstances the effective cost may be further reduced). As Life Fellows will also no longer need to manage or pay annually for retired fellowship, they are also immune from future fee increases.

In a recent interview, Alasdair Miller FCGDent, one of the College’s first Life Fellows, expressed his hope that all retired Fellows will consider Life Fellowship as a way of supporting the growth and prosperity of the College.

If you are interested in becoming a Life Fellow, please contact Sir Nairn Wilson, Honorary Founding President, at [email protected]

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This article was originally published on 27 April 2023. It was updated on 21 June 2023 to include Life Fellowship fees for dental professionals other than dentists, to reflect the College Council’s intention no longer to recognise Fellowship of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry as providing automatic eligibility for College Fellowship, and to add a link to the interview with Alasdair Miller FCGDent.

College of General Dentistry News

College Medal awarded to Andrew Hadden

Andrew Hadden has been awarded the prestigious College Medal, the highest honour bestowed by the College. 

Reserved for no more than one recipient per year, the College Medal is awarded for exceptional service of the dental profession and its patients in a manner aligned with the values and mission of the College. Dr Hadden has received the award in recognition of his considerable contributions over many years, including through the College and the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP). Previous winners (including of the preceding Faculty Medal) were Shelagh Farrell, Mike Mulcahy, Nikolaus Palmer, Professor Ken Eaton and Ian Mills.

After graduating BDS from Glasgow University in 1974, Andrew worked full-time in the dental hospital service for several years before entering general practice. In 1984 he become a partner in the practice, and also continued part-time as a hospital practitioner in oral surgery for over twenty years. He remained a partner until 2007 and continued with part-time associate work until 2010.

In 1993 he became a part-time dental advisor with the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS), becoming a full-time adviser in 2007, while retaining some sessional work in general practice. He holds an MPhil in Medical Law & Ethics, and on leaving the MDDUS in 2013 continued to be involved in the dento-legal field on a freelance basis, and to deliver undergraduate and postgraduate education in dental law and ethics.

Involved with the FGDP from its inception in 1992, he was one of the early holders of the coveted Membership in General Dental Surgery (MGDS) qualification, and subsequently the Fellowship (FFGDP(UK)). An active member in the Faculty’s West of Scotland Division, he was Secretary for eleven years and is currently assisting in the compilation of its history.

He was an examiner for the Faculty’s membership examination (MFGDP) from 1995 to 2004, and an Assessor for its Career Pathway route to Fellowship, becoming Chair of the Fellowship Assessment Board in 2009. He then served as a member of the Fellowship Development Group which rationalised the five different routes previously available, and in 2013 was appointed Chief Assessor for the newly unified route.

In 2003 he was elected to the National FGDP Board, and over the next eleven years, was a Member and/or Chair of its Education, Examinations, External Affairs, Revalidation, Finance and Credit Transfer Committees, served twice as Vice Dean and was closely involved in its Dental Care Professional Development Group. In 2020, he was appointed to the Faculty Academy as a Senior Member, and he is now a Fellow of CGDent.

He is well known as Editor of the second and third editions of Clinical Examination & Record Keeping: Good Practice Guidelines, which have received over a million page views online, and of which 10,000 print copies have been sold. Originally developed under the auspices of the FGDP, and now published by the College, it has been praised for its relevance, clarity and structure, and has for many years been the primary reference on its subject for practitioners and regulators alike, both in the UK and elsewhere. Notably, in the current third edition Dr Hadden introduced terminology to differentiate between ‘Aspirational’ and ‘Basic’ standards of practice. This change succeeded in reducing misinterpretation of aspirational guidance as essential requirements, and has since been adopted for other FGDP/CGDent guidance and standards publications.

He was also a contributor to the Faculty’s Key Skills in Primary Dental Care distance learning modules, and a reviewer for the second edition of Standards in Dentistry and most recently the College’s Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines publication.

He has served on the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (1988-1997), as President of the Glasgow Odontological Society (1993-94), Council Member and President (2013-14) of the West of Scotland branch of the British Dental Association, and as a member of the Dental Council and Education Board of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, the General Dental Council’s Technical Advisory Committee on Continuing Assurance and the CPD Expert Advisory Group of the UK Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors. And over the past eighteen months, he has represented the College on a group which succeeded in persuading NHS England to reverse a recent change in its Record Keeping Code of Practice which had extended the retention period for dental records from eleven to fifteen years.

A Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, he has also been awarded the Certificate in Mentoring and Certificate in Practice Appraisal of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

The College Medal was formally presented to Dr Hadden at the CGDent Fellows’ Summer Reception, which was held in Cutlers’ Hall, London, on Thursday 15 June 2023.

Abhi Pal, President of the College, said:

“Andrew is an exceptional colleague who has made an extraordinary contribution to the College, former Faculty and the profession at large. His altruistic dedication of innumerable hours, decade on decade, has been of immeasurable benefit to dentistry and dental patients, and is an example to us all. The College Medal is the greatest honour we can give, and it is my immense pleasure and privilege to be able to confer upon Andrew this most deserved recognition of his commitment and achievements.”

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This article has been updated following the presentation of the award on 15 June 2023. The original was published on 17 May 2023 to announce the decision to award it.

College of General Dentistry News

Knighthood for College founder

Professor Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, Honorary Founding President (now President Emeritus) of the College of General Dentistry, has been appointed Knight Bachelor in King Charles III’s first Birthday Honours List.

He is thought to be the first dental professional to be knighted since Sir Nicholas Sturridge KCVO in 2007, and is the first to be made a Knight Bachelor since Sir Ian Gainsford in 1995. His citation reads “Honorary Founding President, College of General Dentistry. For services to dentistry.”

Professor Wilson – now Sir Nairn – is a Founder and Founding Fellow of the College, and its first Chair, serving from 2017-20. He was then appointed Honorary Founding President, and following the full activation of the College with the transfer of the membership of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice in 2021, President Emeritus. He was founding Editor of the Faculty’s (now College’s) Primary Dental Journal from 2012-2017 and was also the College’s first Life Fellow.

A Patron of the Dental Wellness Trust, he is a Past President of the British Dental Association and Emeritus Professor of Dentistry at King’s College London, where he was Professor of Restorative Dentistry, Dean and Head of the College’s Dental Institute, and Deputy Vice Principal for Health. His many other positions have included Dean of Manchester University Dental Hospital and subsequently Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester, Editor of the Journal of Dentistry, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, President of the General Dental Council, Chair of the Council of Deans and Heads of Dental Schools (now the Dental Schools Council) and co-chair of the Forum of European Heads and Deans of Dental Schools.

He was made Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004 for services to dentistry and healthcare regulation, and holds fellowship, in addition to the College of General Dentistry, of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, American College of Dentistry, Academy of Dental Materials, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, British Society of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong, King’s College London, Higher Education Academy, Faculty of Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Oman Dental College, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and International College of Dentists. His awards for research excellence include the Hollenback Memorial Prize, a British Dental Association Tomes Medal and the International Association for Dental Research Ivar Mjor Award for practice-based research.

Sir Nairn will be formally ‘dubbed’ a Knight, and presented with his insignia, by HM The King or a senior member of the Royal Family at a ceremony of investiture at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or the Palace of Holyroodhouse later this year.

Sir Nairn’s wife, Margaret – who is Honorary Curator of the British Dental Museum, Editor of the Dental Historian (the journal of the Lindsay Society for the History of Dentistry), and a retired Consultant in Restorative Dentistry whose posts included Clinical Director of Manchester Dental Hospital and Director of The National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Dental Education – is now Lady Wilson.

Commenting on his appointment, Sir Nairn said:

“Being knighted is the high point of my fifty years in dentistry. I am hugely honoured but all the more challenged to try to put back into dentistry as much as it has given me. Very special thanks to everyone who has helped and supported me during my career.”

Dr Abhi Pal, current President of the College, said:

“Many congratulations to Sir Nairn on this highly deserved recognition of his many accomplishments, not least of which is his unrivalled contribution to the establishment of the College of General Dentistry. The College is very fortunate indeed to have such a committed servant, and Sir Nairn’s elevation will only reinforce the College’s growing standing and status and that of the profession it serves.”

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College of General Dentistry News

Centenary message to the BDIA

The College of General Dentistry has congratulated the British Dental Industry Association (BDIA) on its 100th anniversary.

Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, President Emeritus of the College, said:

“Congratulations to the BDIA on 100 years of service and support to the dental profession and the patients it serves. Its work over the last century has unswervingly underpinned the provision of oral healthcare services, meeting the ever-changing needs of the ever-increasing diversity of oral healthcare professionals.

“The BDIA has also helped drive innovation and developments in dentistry with the timely introduction of new materials, instruments and devices, typically from international manufacturers and markets, while protecting the profession from substandard and counterfeit products.

“The College of General Dentistry is grateful for its sterling service and wishes it continued success, and we look forward to working together to further improve standards in oral healthcare during its second hundred years and beyond.”

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College of General Dentistry News

Mental health in dental settings survey

Dental professionals are being asked to help inform the development of resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of dental teams by filling in a short, anonymous survey.

The survey, part of the Mental Health in Dental Settings UK project (MINDSET UK) aims to evaluate the current status of mental health and wellbeing of dental teams across the country by investigating levels of burnout, depressed mood, experienced trauma and preparedness to provide quality care.

The project is led by the UK Dental Team Mental Health Research and Implementation Group, a collaboration between NHS Education for Scotland (NES), the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), the University of Plymouth, King’s College London, Health and Social Care Northern Ireland and Health Education and Improvement Wales, and the survey is hosted by the Scottish Dental Practice-based Research Network.

The results of the survey will be shared with policy, service and education leaders in dentistry across the UK to inform the future provision of mental health and wellbeing support and training for dental teams, and may also be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences. It will not be possible to identify individuals from their responses nor in any report or publication arising from the research.

The College supports the Mental Health Wellness in Dentistry Framework and Call to Action,  which encourages all members of the dental team to undertake training in stress awareness, and calls for every workplace to have a trained individual to encourage and lead discussion around the mental health wellness, to design a workplace action plan based on early intervention and safe signposting, and to act as a Mental Health First Aider – someone able to respond in a timely, appropriate and safe manner to potential mental health wellness issues.

We encourage all dental professionals to help support improved mental health wellness in dentistry by participating in the survey, which closes on Wednesday 31 May 2023 and is available at https://forms.office.com/e/AAgkcCbTPb

Further information can be found in the Participant Information Sheet and on the MINDSET website

REGISTER FOR FREE HERE

ConfiDental helpline

ConfiDental is available 24/7, 365 days a year on 0333 987 5158 to support dental professionals in distress. Its trained volunteers are all practising or retired dental professionals who aim to help you come to your own solution or signpost you to a relevant organisation for further advice.

Mental Health Wellness Framework webinar

Our recorded webinar on mental health in dentistry, held in partnership with the Dental Professionals Alliance, discusses how to act in a timely, appropriate, and safe manner when identifying mental health wellness issues in the dental workplace. College members and ProDental subscribers have free access and can claim 1.5 hours’ CPD. A fee will apply for non-members/non-subscribers.

Spotting and Tackling Poor Mental Health in Colleagues and Patients

This Primary Dental Journal article is available exclusively to College members in the PDJ Archive (see volume 6 number 3 or search for ‘mental health’).

Health and Wellbeing of Clinical Dental Care Professionals: A Systematic Review

This Primary Dental Journal article from June 2022 is available on an Open Access basis here

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College of General Dentistry Student Advice

Get published!

Clare Denton, editor of Bites, the College’s monthly e-newsletter, offers advice on getting your writing published.

It is becoming increasingly common for dental practitioners to raise their professional profile by creating interesting, relevant content and getting it published on one of the many platforms and channels now available. The Primary Dental Journal (PDJ), is the College’s quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles written by a variety of authors. You can read the specific author guidelines for the PDJ here.

There are several types of writing you can generate – reporting on clinical research, opinion pieces or more informal writing about experiences and ideas. If you specifically want information about conducting clinical research and publishing the results, you’ll find a comprehensive and free set of guidance on the CGDent website which will tell you everything you need to know – An Introduction to Research for Primary Dental Care Clinicians.

Here are some general tips about how to be a successful writer and publish your work.

1.  Choosing your audience and topic 

Your audience and article topic go hand-in-hand. Particular topics, or the angle you choose to focus on, may only interest dental professionals with certain special interests, and vice versa.  It’s crucial that your topic, the angle you take and your audience all align. It helps if you’re interested in the subject matter too. 

Read other articles on your chosen subject. Is there already a lot written about this? Can you approach the issue from a new perspective?

2.  Identify where you want your work to be published

Different channels and mediums demand different styles and tone of writing. A blog can be informal, whereas an article in a peer-reviewed journal would demand a more formal, academic style. Many publications have specific editorial guidelines to follow. Contact the Editor before you start writing to ensure they would consider publishing your writing. 

3.  Plan your work

Contact the publication’s Editor or editorial team and ask for clear deadlines and a schedule for the issue. You’ll need to know when you will receive peer review comments or editorial feedback, and when you are expected to have revised your paper. Most journals ask for a quick turnaround (three days usually) which you need to be prepared for.

4.  Attention-grabbing headline 

Although the title is the first thing your reader will see, it’s a good idea to leave composing it until you’ve finished writing your piece; the stand-out point of your piece will be much clearer. Titles should be eye-catching, humorous or clever, but also a true summary of the content.

5.  Give credit where it’s due

Compelling images or video to accompany your article are vital. Check the copyright of any visual material included and if necessary, obtain a permissions licence from the copyright holders and credit them. 

6.  Include a variety of voices

Incorporate poignant quotations from different stakeholders to bring your work to life. Quotations reinforce and validate the points you are making, add more detail and give a personal perspective from key players. If quoting from existing published work, make sure to cite the sources on your reference list.

Author bio

I have been the Editor of Bites since 2017, when I first started working with the Faculty of General Dental Practice and now the College of General Dentistry. My career in marketing and communications is centred around creating engaging content in digital and print, and I particularly enjoy the visual and editorial challenges this brings. When I’m not working, I manage a busy family life and indulge in long-distance running (my longest race so far is a half-marathon) and discussing the latest reads with my book club.

If you’re a CGDent Member and would like to write a blog for our Student Advice page, get in touch and tell us about your blog idea at [email protected]

This student advice blog was originally published by FGDP(UK) and has been republished by the College of General Dentistry with the author’s permission.

College of General Dentistry Recent event

Bruxism diagnosis management

Friday 29 September 2023, London

Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, Westminster, London, W1G 0AE

Bruxism can cause multiple debilitating problems throughout the body and can be difficult to diagnose and even harder to manage.

This one-day course was designed to help clinicians, including dental professionals, understand the condition and learn how to diagnose it sooner and create realistic and achievable multi-disciplinary treatment plans.

Expert speakers explored the cause and effects of Bruxism, discuss diagnosis and examined possible treatments. The programme ends with a Q&A session with Professor Gilles Lavigne.

Speakers:

  • Barabara Carey, Consultant in oral medicine
  • Luke Cascarini, Consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon and head and neck surgeon
  • Gilles Lavigne, Specialist in oral medicine
  • Sara McNeillis, Consultant in sleep medicine and anaesthesia
  • Javier Moraleda, consultant ENT
  • Clare Simon,  lead and founder of The London Dental Sleep Clinic

Fees:

  • Dentist £150
  • Dental Team £99

**COLLEGE MEMBERS RECEIVE 20% DISCOUNT IF THEY BOOK BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY 31 JULY 2023**

(You must sign in to the website in order to view the member discount code)

For more information on the Bruxism Diagnosis Management course, click here.

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