1992 Circle, inaugural gathering

Wednesday 18 January 2023, Manchester

An inaugural gathering of the College of General Dentistry’s ‘1992 Circle’ took place on Wednesday 18 January 2023 at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, 84 Plymouth Grove, Manchester M13 9LW.

The new group is named in honour of the year the Faculty of General Dental Practitioners was founded, a key moment which brought together the members of the College of General Dental Practitioners (UK) and of the former RCS Advisory Board in General Dental Practice, with the shared ambition to create an independent College over time.

Thirty years on, the 1992 Circle aims to bring together, and recognise, those whose vision put the general dental profession in the UK on a journey towards independent collegiate status, and those whose ongoing commitment carried this through to the establishment of the College of General Dentistry.

The group will gather periodically for social events, typically linked to the College’s main activities, and all those who are retired from practice and were a Fellow of the FGDP, or are or were a Fellow of CGDent, are eligible to attend the inaugural gathering. There is no charge to become a member of the 1992 Circle or to attend the event.

Please note that the College does not hold contact details of all retired Faculty Fellows, who are encouraged to make themselves known to the College, whether or not they can attend the inaugural event. College members are also encouraged to get in touch with retired Faculty Fellows with whom they are acquainted to this end.

Attendees at the 1992 Circle gathering who are members of the College were also invited to join the CGDent Fellows Winter Reception later the same evening

This event was previously advertised as taking place at the Whitworth Art Gallery.

Introduction to orthodontics: Assessment, diagnosis and case selection

CGDent recorded webinar, Tuesday 17 January 2023

This webinar is the first in the College’s Introduction to Orthodontics series of webinars.

This three-part CGDent webinar series, led by specialist orthodontist Prof Ross Hobson, aims to explore the possibilities and limitations of orthodontic treatment with Fixed Braces, alongside giving an insight into the CGDent Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics, delivered by the College’s Trusted Provider, IAS Academy.

The series explores some of the most crucial aspects in orthodontic treatment, focusing predominantly on; assessment, diagnosis and planning, fixed appliance therapy and orthodontic retention. These webinars are educationally focused and the goal is to break down an incredibly wide subject into understandable and manageable sessions.

This first webinar discusses why and how to undertake an orthodontic assessment of patients prior to orthodontic treatment.

Speakers:

  • Prof Ross Hobson BDS, MDS, PhD, FCGDent, FDS, MDOrth (RCPS), FDS (RCS Ed), FDS (RCS Eng), SFHEA; Training Director, IAS Academy; Programme Director, CGDent Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics
  • Dr Kuldip S Gakhal BDS Dip Ortho FCGDent, Dentist

Further webinars in this series:

GDC development outcomes: C

CPD approx 1.5 hours

This webinar is hosted by the College of General Dentistry and powered by our CPD delivery partner, ProDental CPD – watch recording below.

It was free to view live for all dental professionals, and College members also have free access to the recorded webinar and can claim CPD hours for free.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members who wish to claim CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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Creating a positive patient safety culture in dentistry

CGDent recorded webinar, Tuesday 10 January 2023

There is a culture of fear and anxiety that affects many clinicians in dental settings. This can lead to defensive dentistry and a significant level of cognitive dissonance that can affect all members of the dental team.

This CGDent webinar shares an overview of Project Sphere, a project led by Jason Wong (Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England) and run by Jyoti Sumel (Dental therapist and health education england dental clinical leadership fellow) involving a group of key stakeholders including regulators of dentistry.

The aim of this group is to initiate steps to move away from the current blame culture into a positive and fair learning culture within dental settings. This webinar will discuss the groups work in patient safety in primary care, as well as information from experts in patient safety.

The webinar includes a review of recording mechanisms and the templates to enhance learning from patient safety events and a discussion about how to encourage recording as well as improving practitioner support. It also details how Project Sphere have engaged with indemnity providers and proposals to improve sharing of safety events and promoting a duty of candour.

Speakers:

  • Prof Nick Barker FCGDent, Dentist
  • Dr Priya Chohan, Oral Surgery Leadership Fellow
  • Stefan Czerniawski, Executive Director, Strategy of the General Dental Council
  • Len D’Cruz, FCGDent Head of BDA Indemnity Team
  • Fiona Ellwood BEM, President Society of British Dental Nurses
  • Dr Zain Hameed, Clinical Fellow, Office of the Chief Dental Officer 2022/23
  • Dr Mick Horton FCGDent, General Dental Practitioner, Trustee of the College of General Dentistry
  • Dr John Milne FCGDent, Senior National Professional Advisor, Dentistry, CQC
  • Prof Tara Renton, Specialist in Oral Surgery
  • Fiona Sandom FCGDent, Dental Therapist and Dental Educator
  • Deborah Stratford MCGDent, BSDHT & MSc Human Factors in patient safety
  • Jyoti Sumel, Regional HEE Clinical Leadership Fellow and Dental Therapist
  • Simon Thackeray, Owner, Thackeray Dental Care
  • Dr Hester Wain, Head of Patient Safety Policy, NHS England and NHS Improvement
  • Jason Wong MBE FCGDent, general dental practitioner and Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England
  • Debra Worthington, BADN President

GDC development outcomes: B, D

CPD approx 1.5 hours

This webinar is hosted by the College of General Dentistry and powered by our CPD delivery partner, ProDental CPD – watch the recording below.

It was free to view live for all dental professionals, and College members also have free access to the recorded webinar and can claim CPD hours for free.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members who wish to claim CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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Record-keeping in the real world of general dental practice

CGDent recorded webinar, Monday 12 December 2022

In this CGDent webinar, we discuss the importance of comprehensive and accurate record-keeping, fundamental for good clinical practice and essential for delivering quality patient care.

Speaker:

  • Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry and general dental practitioner

CPD approx 1.5 hours

GDC development outcomes: A, D

This webinar is hosted by the College of General Dentistry and powered by our CPD delivery partner, ProDental CPD – watch the recording below.

It was free to view live for all dental professionals, and College members also have free access to the recorded webinar and can claim CPD hours for free.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members who wish to claim CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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Vice Presidents and dental team representatives 2022-23

Tashfeen Kholasi and Patricia Thomson have been elected as the College of General Dentistry’s Vice Presidents for 2022-23, and Louise Belfield, John Stanfield, Bill Sharpling and Sarah Hill have been re-appointed to their roles providing representation of the wider dental team on the College Council.

Top row (l-r): Tashfeen Kholasi, Patricia Thomson, Louise Belfield
Bottom row (l-r): Bill Sharpling, John Stanfield, Sarah Hill

Patricia Thomson FCGDent, Council representative for the West and North of Scotland, graduated from Glasgow Dental School in 1983 and has worked in general dental practice ever since. She became a principal in 1985, sold her practice in 2017, and now works as a part-time associate. She has provided mixed NHS and private care and has an interest in orthodontics. She has tutored colleagues for entry exams for the Royal Colleges, presented teaching sessions on orthodontics to vocational trainees, and delivers postgraduate lectures at RCPS Glasgow. She served on the National Board of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP) from 2016-21, and is Chair of the College of General Dentistry’s Regional Funding Panel. She is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and a Past President of the West of Scotland branch of the British Dental Association.

Tashfeen Kholasi FCGDent, Council representative for the North East and North West Thames region, was re-elected after serving as one of the College’s inaugural Vice Presidents in 2021-22. She is an associate dentist and Chief Clinical Information Officer in general dental practice, as well as a Clinical Tutor in Special Care and Sedation at King’s College London, from where she qualified. With a strong interest in digital health, she is a Fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics, and a former health informatics clinical lead at NHS Digital. She has a Diploma in Conscious Sedation and a Master’s in Legal Aspects of Medical Practice, and is currently completing a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership and Commissioning. She was elected to the FGDP’s board in 2020 and serves on the College’s Membership Affairs Committee, Professional Affairs Committee and Membership Admissions Panel.

The Vice Presidents support the College President in the delivery of the strategy and policy agreed by the Council, from which they are elected.

Roshni Karia MCGDent stood down as a Vice President after completing the maximum two years’ service in the role, having previously been Vice Dean of the FGDP in 2019-20. During her tenure, she has been instrumental in the development of the College’s soon-to-be-launched Certified Membership scheme, and has been appointed Chair of the College’s Professional Affairs Committee for 2022-23.

Louise Belfield, John Stanfield and Bill Sharpling have been re-appointed to the College Council for a further year as the respective voting representatives of dental nursing & orthodontic therapy, dental hygiene & therapy, and dental technology & clinical dental technology. It is intended that these positions will become elected in 2023 following the formation of professional faculties within the College. Sarah Hill has also been re-appointed to provide additional non-voting representation of dental professionals other than dentists.

Louise Belfield AssocFCGDent is a dental nurse, research scientist, lecturer, Health Education England Dental Clinical Fellow, and National Examination Board for Dental Nurses Trustee. Louise trained as a dental nurse in Devon, qualifying in 2001. She has worked across a range of dental specialties at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust including community, special care, and emergency dentistry, as well as in general dental practice. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Human Biosciences, a doctorate in immunology, and a postgraduate certificate in clinical education. She was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2019 in recognition of her continued contributions to dental education. She is a member of the College’s Professional Affairs Committee and Membership Admissions Panel.

Bill Sharpling FCGDent is Associate Dean (CPD) and Director of the London Dental Education Centre (LonDEC) at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London. Previously, he was Head of Dental Technology at Guy’s, King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospitals. He is also the External Examiner for the BSc(Hons) Clinical Dental Technology programme at the University of Central Lancashire. After qualifying in 1986, Bill spent the next 10 years working as a Dental Technician, gaining advanced qualifications in fixed and removable prosthodontics. He has worked in commercial dental laboratories, the Armed Forces and as the Chief Instructor in Conservative Dental Technology at Guy’s Hospital Dental School. He is a member of the College’s Careers and Training Committee.

John Stanfield AssocFCGDent has over 40 years’ experience as a dental hygienist, and works in private dental practice in Cheshire. He was Editor of the FGDP’s Team in Practice journal and Vice-Chair of its DCP Committee, and now serves on the College’s Membership Affairs Committee. Originally qualifying in the Army in 1980, he has experience of hospital, NHS, teaching establishments and private practice. He has studied learning and teaching, with a special interest in the use of technology and media, was a clinical lead for NHS Test & Trace, and is a trustee for the dental charity Maasai Molar, enabling the education of children of the Maasai region towards better dental health.

Sarah Hill AssocFCGDent qualified as a dental hygienist from the University of Bristol with distinction in 2012, and holds a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Southampton and a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Education from the University of Plymouth. Working as a hygienist in a mixed orthodontic practice in Halesowen, she has previously delivered presentations for TePe, been a sales representative for GlaxoSmithKline, and a lecturer in Community-Based Dentistry at Peninsula Dental School. An assessor for the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and past Chair of the South West and South Wales group of the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, she was an Affiliate Member of FGDP from 2013-21, and the DCP representative on both its West Midlands and national boards. 

Abhi Pal FCGDent, President of the College, said:

“On behalf of our members, I congratulate Patricia on her election as Vice President, Tashfeen on her re-election for a second term, and Louise, Bill, John and Sarah on their re-appointment as dental team representatives. I look forward to drawing on their vast and varied experience, knowledge and expertise as the College continues to fulfil its historic mission to build a professional body for all dental professionals.

“I would also like to thank Roshni for her service as Vice President, and look forward to continuing to work with her as we launch Certified Membership and in her new role overseeing our professional affairs activity.”

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Meta-analyses and their appraisal

CGDent recorded webinar, Wednesday 7 December 2022

This lunch and learn webinar is the third in the College’s Research and Critical Appraisal of Evidence series of webinars.

This third CGDent webinar outlines the main elements and key stages of meta-analysis and how to appraise meta-analyses. We examine heterogeneity and its causes, consider the interpretation of a forest plot and look at appraisal checklists.

Speakers:

  • Derek Richards, Specialist in Dental Public Health, Director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Dentistry
  • Dr Mark-Steven Howe, General Dental Practitioner

Further webinars in this series:

GDC development outcomes: A C

CPD approx 1 hour

This webinar is hosted by the College of General Dentistry and powered by our CPD delivery partner, ProDental CPD – watch the recording below.

It was free to view live for all dental professionals, and College members also have free access to the recorded webinar and can claim CPD hours for free.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members who wish to claim CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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CGDent Scotland Study Day

Friday 2 December 2022, 9am-5.30pm (Registration from 8.15am)

Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow

The CGDent Study Day 2022 featured world-class, headline speakers Justin Durham and Finlay Sutton. The event finished with Professor Jeremy Bagg’s Caldwell Lecture presentation on volunteering opportunities within dentistry. Delegates benefitted from six hours of enhanced CPDA, a three-course lunch and the drinks reception.

Programme

  • Professor Justin Durham: Tough, Maddening, and Daunting: is this a real-world clinicians’ view of TMD?

    There are data to suggest clinicians find Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) challenging to diagnose and manage. This lecture will explore challenges in diagnosis and management of TMD offering practical and evidence-based suggestions to help address these so clinicians feel better equipped to diagnose, educate and manage cases of TMD.
  • Finlay Sutton: Partial dentures that function superbly and look amazing – “The fantastic Scandinavian Hygienic approach

    This lecture explored the construction methods and function of partial dentures which work like removable bridges, protecting the periodontium of compromised abutment teeth. It examined why well designed and well-made partial dentures are valid alternatives (particularly aesthetically) to implant supported restorations. Delegates also learnt the Scandinavian hygienic partial denture design system to cover all combinations of missing teeth which anticipate future abutment failure allowing artificial tooth additions onto cobalt chromium minor connectors of the denture later.
  • The Caldwell Memorial Lecture presented by Professor Jeremy Bagg and colleagues: The MalDent Project – Progress through Partnerships

This study day could be attended in person or virtually.

Alongside the study day programme, delegates were invited to visit the accompanying 30-stand trade exhibition. Free parking was available.

6 hours CPD

For dental professionals practising in Scotland, CPDA was available for two sessions.

Study Day fee

CGDent member: £199

Dentist non-member: £299

Special rate for FD / VDP / Retired Dentist / Technician / Hygienist / Therapist / DCP / Practice Manager: £129

To read a review of the 2021 CGDent Scotland Study Day, visit our blog.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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Leadership in infection prevention and control

CGDent recorded webinar, Thursday 17 November 2022

We explore appropriate leadership skills and styles in the context of infection prevention and control during this CGDent webinar with Fiona Ellwood, President of the Society of British Dental Nurses. We discuss the importance of evidence-based practice and the need to work to nation-specific guidance and look at the consequences and impact of non-compliance.

Speaker:

  • Fiona Ellwood BEM FFGDP(UK)(Hon.)

GDC development outcomes: A, B, C, D

CPD approx 1.5 hours

This webinar is hosted by the College of General Dentistry and powered by our CPD delivery partner, ProDental CPD – watch below.

It was free to view live for all dental professionals, and College members also have free access to the recorded webinar and can claim CPD hours for free.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members who wish to claim CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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Preventing wrong tooth extraction

CGDent recorded webinar, Tuesday 15 November 2022

This CGDent webinar examines ways to mitigate wrong tooth extraction in primary care oral surgery and considers how human factors and non-technical skills can affect a patient’s care journey.

Speakers:

  • Dr Mick Horton, Trustee of the College of General Dentistry, General Dental Practitioner
  • Kevin Lewis, Consultant Editor for Dentistry Magazine and Former Dental Director at Dental Protection and a founding Trustee of the College of General Dentistry
  • Dr Anshu Sood, Specialist Orthodontist

GDC development outcomes: A, C, D

This webinar is hosted by the College of General Dentistry and powered by our CPD delivery partner, ProDental CPD – watch below.

It was free to view live for all dental professionals, and College members also have free access to the recorded webinar and can claim CPD hours for free.  A £20 fee will apply for non-members who wish to claim CPD.

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Membership for dentists is available from £94, and for other registered dental professionals from £33. The full list of CGDent membership rates is at https://cgdent.uk/membership-fees/

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What have we achieved one year on?

As we approach the College’s first-year anniversary, CGDent President Dr Abhi Pal looks back at all that we have achieved and considers our exciting plans for the future.

On 1st July 2022 the College of General Dentistry (CGDent) will mark its first full year of operation since its formal launch, and I mark the conclusion of my first year as President. The transition from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) was five years in the planning and brought with it the hopes and aspirations for a whole profession. The transition period posed a number of challenges and I commend the hard work of the College staff and give thanks to the support of the College Council, our Trustee Board and our many members for helping to achieve a successful first year.

The first task for the College was the transfer of staff and the membership from the RCS, and automatic recognition of Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP) membership, fellowship and all FGDP qualifications for the purposes of our own College membership and fellowship. I am pleased to say we have achieved this successfully, despite significant technological challenges.

In line with our inclusive approach to membership, the College now welcomes all members of the dental team with relevant postgraduate qualifications as members. The category of Associate Fellow has been created, designed to be a stepping-stone to Fellowship. We have also launched our criteria for Fellowship by Experience, designed to give recognition to individuals with experience who have demonstrated achievement in a wide range of areas. Membership has also been opened up to non-registrants with relevant qualifications, such as dental academics.

Membership of the College speaks to the professional development of individuals through post-nominals: Full Members (MCGDent), Associate Fellows (AssocFCGDent), and Fellows (FCGDent). In addition, we have expanded our package of membership benefits for all members. These include a discount arrangement with the UK’s largest indemnity provider, Dental Protection, which recognises the high level of commitment to professional development of College members and fellows. College membership also gives access to the wide range of online educational content provided by ProDental CPD. Indeed, the College has now hosted 20 live webinars so far on everything from leadership and professionalism to managing traumatic dental injuries, and from sustainable dentistry to how to get the best from your career. They’re all available for members to view free of charge via ProDental, which will also issue you with an electronic CPD certificate and keep a record of your learning.

The College continues to be the publisher of authoritative guidance and standards documents, originally published by the FGDP(UK), covering areas such as Clinical Examination and Record-keeping, Dental Radiography, Standards in Dentistry, Research in Primary Dental Care, and Training in Implant Dentistry. The College continues to publish Implications of COVID-19 for the safe management of general dental practice, which was developed with the FGDP, and has just released its first sole-published guideline, Mentoring in Implant Dentistry, which was developed with the Association of Dental Implantology and has been endorsed by the British Association of Oral Surgeons, Association of British Academic Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the UK and Ireland Section of the International Team for Implantology.

We continue to deliver high quality postgraduate training through our Postgraduate Diploma in Restorative and Aesthetic Dentistry, Postgraduate Certificate in Non-Surgical Facial Aesthetics and our recently launched Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics which is delivered through IAS Academy.

The College has secured representation on over 25 committees and working groups across the UK developing national dental and oral health policy. Our College Council is now formed of 25 members from across the UK, as well as internationally. Most importantly we have representation on Council from not only dentists, but also dental nursing, dental hygiene, dental therapy, and dental technology.

The national makeup of the College is reflected in the work that is carried on by our regional groups. We have had very successful Study Days in Birmingham, Glasgow and Gateshead during our first year. The College Council will no longer meet exclusively in London but also in other UK cities from time to time, in order for the Council to engage with our local members.

At the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show in May, I was delighted to meet many members and prospective members of the College. The plans for our Career Pathway was met with great enthusiasm and we also obtained some very useful feedback. The College also provided Core CPD seminars from some of our notable speakers.

Over the past few months I have been invited to speak to groups of final year undergraduates from various UK dental schools about Transition to Practice. It was a wonderful opportunity to engage with our colleagues who will be the future of the profession to discuss career planning and the College’s role.

Earlier this month, we held the College’s first Fellows’ Reception at Barber-Surgeons’ Hall in London where we unveiled our Professional Framework which will underpin the College’s Career Pathways.

Proud as I am of everything we’ve achieved so far, we can look forward with even more enthusiasm and anticipation to the next 12 months, during which many other projects and initiatives will come to fruition. These include the launch of the College’s Career Pathways and Certified Membership Scheme, designed to provide a long-needed pathway for professional development in primary dental care for all members of the dental team. We will be launching Phase One of the scheme in the autumn of 2022.

Publication of the second edition of our guidance on research for primary dental care professionals, and of our new Standards for Dental Photography, is anticipated in the forthcoming year. PDJ issues on oral surgery, digital dentistry, aesthetic dentistry, and dental trauma will be published. Upcoming live webinars include social inequalities and dental school applications, periodontal-systemic links, LGBTQ+ inclusion in dentistry, and many more.

Finally, I hope you will be able to join in some of our planned conferences over the next year. These include CGDent Study Days in Birmingham on 1 July and Glasgow on 2 December, 2022. We also have the first CGDent—Quintessence Publishing International Conference in London on 24–25 March, 2023.

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