The College is working to raise awareness of the safeguarding role of dental professionals in response to signs of domestic abuse, and to support information-gathering on the profession’s own experiences.
In the UK, around 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men experience domestic abuse during their life, including psychological, emotional, physical, sexual or financial abuse, and/or coercion, control or stalking. Healthcare professionals are at even higher risk.
Working in partnership with researchers at Bristol Medical School’s Domestic Violence and Abuse Health Research Group (DVAHG), the College is inviting all dental professionals to join a free webinar to learn how to recognise signs of abuse among colleagues or patients and act accordingly, and is encouraging all those in the profession who have experienced abuse, or supported colleagues who may have done so, to complete the DVAHG’s survey.
Preetee Hylton, a dental nurse, safeguarding lead and domestic abuse survivor, together with Dr Alison Gregory and Dr Sandi Dheensa of Bristol Medical School, will help participants:
Understand the various types of domestic abuse, and recognise the possible signs
Be confident in assisting patients and colleagues who require support
Work together as a team to create a safe space in the workplace
Grasp the importance of the Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse
The webinar, hosted by the College and available through ProDental CPD, is free to view live for all dental professionals, but prior registration is required. CPD certificates for the webinar, and on-demand access to the recording, will be available to non-members on a chargeable basis, but provided free of charge to College members.
The survey of primary care staff in England is part of the PRESSURE study, which is examining:
the impact of healthcare professionals’ own experiences of domestic abuse and coercive control
whether dental practices and other healthcare employers have useful policies for staff who are experiencing domestic abuse
what help and support healthcare professionals who have experienced domestic abuse seek or might need; and
what implications there may be for managers and senior staff
The study is independent of the NHS and healthcare regulators, and is for healthcare workers who have experienced abuse, control, or violent behaviour from a partner, ex-partner, or family member, and for staff who may support healthcare workers.
The survey closes on Sunday 4 December 2022, and its findings will inform recommendations to help improve healthcare employers’ policies.
If you have experienced domestic abuse, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, and there are people ready to listen and help. Details of support options are included in the survey, including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247 – 24/7), and Respect Men’s Advice Line (0808 8010327 – Mon–Fri 10am-8pm).
In his recent CPD seminar, delivered for the College at Dentistry Show London, Jason Wong MBE FCGDent, Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England, discussed contemporary concepts relating to patient safety, and in this blog, examines recent developments.
For some years I have spoken about the culture of fear and anxiety that has gripped the dental profession in the United Kingdom and how it has wide ranging impacts including its effect on the culture in clinical practice, limiting access to care and wellbeing of the dental workforce.
In a nutshell, what I was asked to speak about by the College of general Dentistry at the recent Dentistry show London, is how we, the dental profession, are attempting to initiate steps to move away from the current blame and fear culture to a fair and learning culture, and how this will improve patient safety.
I have always had an interest in this area, and from my time as a Local Dental Network Chair in the Midlands, and with my Leadership fellow Dr Priya Chohan and Oral Surgeons Professor Tara Renton and Dr Edmund Bailey, published an article in the British Dental Journal which concluded that there is a lack of knowledge concerning Patient Safety Incident reporting and a culture of fear affecting the profession.
Coincidentally, one of the first things I was asked to work on when I was appointed as Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England was whether wrong tooth extraction should still be classed as a Never Event by the NHS.
On 17 June 2021, I brought together key stakeholders from across dentistry to discuss the significant potential for patient safety improvement. The group’s discussions concluded with a commitment to work together in collaboration with the profession, to better embed a culture of fairness, openness and learning with regards to patient safety in dental settings.
At the core, we knew that we needed to address the issue of what to record and what to report. We have looked at the available literature and have concluded that barriers to recording and reporting patient safety issues in dentistry is not just an England problem or even a UK problem, but a worldwide one.
At the same time, we welcomed the introduction of the Learn from patient safety events (LFPSE) service, which will support patient safety improvement across all dental care settings. We are encouraging recording of Patient Safety Events but there is still some work to align the system so that it is more user-friendly for dental practices.
Using LFPSE to record and share details of Patient Safety Events means that we could be participating in a profession-wide effort to support national safety improvement work. We recognise that most dental care is delivered in safe settings by caring practitioners, and that the profession has a safety record of which it can be proud.
However, there is always more to be done to ensure that we are delivering the best possible care for patients. Whilst event reporting is a vital tool for information gathering, patient safety engagement, and shared learning, further work is needed to facilitate a just culture for patient safety in dental settings.
Maintaining consistent, constructive, and fair evaluation of Patient Safety Events will facilitate a supportive and safe learning environment for all colleagues. Consistent evaluation will also aid local safety improvements, while assisting continuing professional development and encouraging personal reflection.
It has been a major advantage to align our work with the rest of primary care and the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, so that dentistry does not work in a silo. We therefore have NHS officials attend our meetings and we attend their strategy meetings, and the work that our group has carried out has been well received by the NHS.
However, defensive dentistry is rife, a lack of clarity about what is best and acceptable practice means that there is significant cognitive dissonance alongside the anxiety and fear.
What is patient safety?
Patient safety is the avoidance of unintended or unexpected harm to people during the provision of health care. We support providers to minimise patient safety incidents and drive improvements in safety and quality. Patients should be treated in a safe environment and protected from avoidable harm.
In the CGDent/Dentistry Show London presentation, I examined the principles contained in official publications, several well-known books as well as the patient safety syllabus from HEE’s e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) programme.
Project Sphere
Regional HEE Clinical Leadership Fellow and Dental Therapist, Jyoti Sumel, also presented at the Dentistry Show London this year. Jyoti leads Project Sphere, a project aimed at improving patient safety recording. The Project Sphere working group wants to initiate a culture change, a change that will see dental care move from a perceived blame culture to a learning culture.
They are encouraging the entire dental team to get involved: the safety of patients requires a team approach and is the responsibility of every individual. Project Sphere currently has wide ranging aims to improve systems for learning, recording and workforce support.
The Project Sphere group is fortunate to have both support for their work from both regulators and indemnity. With their support there is a real opportunity to affect the change they want to make.
Clinical leadership
Recent studies of organisational culture and patient safety emphasise the role of senior leadership. Senior leaders can support learning and communicate the importance of safety over other organisational goals. Effective leaders show active engagement with patients and staff and this has a bearing on safer patient care.
Dentists, dental nurses, and dental care professionals can all play an important part as clinical leaders. Clinical leaders make sense of patient safety problems, mobilise resources and put solutions in place. They also create a just culture which encourages colleagues to speak up when things go wrong, rather than fearing blame.
So how do you start to cultivate these principles in your practice?
Here are my top ten tips:
Leadership
Be genuine and build a vision for the whole practice
Be a genuine learning practice
Create a safe working environment
Build relationships – show genuine concern for interests of co-workers and patients
Lead by example
Communication culture
Optimal communications – try using freely available digital platforms to improve communication
Continue to develop comprehensive systems tailored to your setting
Have fun if possible but do build a system that everyone can work to.
Project Sphere – the future
Project Sphere will continue its work this coming year and will continue to socialise the concepts that I have been discussing in this blog. The College of General Dentistry has kindly agreed to publish some guidance for the workstream, the first of which involves lone working and the circumstances that surround it in dental settings. The Project Sphere group are working with the indemnity providers on a consensus statement to reassure clinicians, as well as guiding them to the best place to obtain advice. Hopefully the early positive signs from the impact of their work will continue to develop. As for culture change, that will take some time but the journey has to start somewhere and we hope that this will be the start of many positive changes in dentistry.
Free webinar for all dental professionals
Dental professionals are invited to join a free webinar to learn more about creating a positive patient safety culture, with Jason Wong. The webinar, Creating a positive patient safety culture in dentistry, takes place at 7pm on Tuesday 10 January 2023.
The webinar, hosted by the College and available through ProDental CPD, is free to view live for all dental professionals, but prior registration is required. College members will have free access to the recording afterwards.
The College has announced its programme of events between now and Spring 2023, with twenty CPD webinars anticipated as well as study days and conferences in all four nations of the UK.
Study days and conferences
In its first year, the College hosted major study days in Birmingham, Gateshead and Glasgow, and four more, including an international conference, will take place throughout the UK over the next six months:
Justin Durham on TMD, Finlay Sutton on prosthodontics, and The Caldwell Memorial Lecture delivered by Prof Jeremy Bagg on volunteering opportunities in dentistry
Avijit Banerjee, Krzysztof Chmielewski, Vincent Fehmer, Guillaume Jouanny, Bertrand Khayat, Stefen Koubi, Amit Patel, Shanon Patel, Bjarni Pjetursson, Ana Poveda, Tif Qureshi, Irena Sailer, Werner Schupp, Wendy Thompson, Ulrike Uhlmann, Istvan Urban and Otto Zuhr
Friday/Saturday 24-25 March 2023, QEII Centre, London
All these events are open for registration via our events page, with significant discounts offered to College members.
The College is also hosting nine CPD sessions at Dentistry Show Londonon Friday/Saturday 7-8 October 2022, which are free to all.
CPD webinars
The College has hosted over 25 live webinars to date, and upcoming events include:
Abhi Pal, Pynadath George; Thursday 16 March 2023, 7pm
Dates for a series of webinars on Restorative and aesthetic dentistry, once confirmed, will also be published on our events page
All dental professionals are able to watch our webinarslive. CPD certificates and on-demand access to the recordings are provided free of charge to College members, and are available to non-members on a chargeable basis.
College members can also access an online library of 1,000 hours of GDC-compliant e-learning, and an online personal development planning tool to identify and log areas for future learning tailored to their job role and aspirations.
Registration has opened for a major international dental conference to be hosted in the UK next year. Taking place in London and co-hosted by the College of General Dentistry (CGDent) and Quintessence Publishing, all dental professionals are eligible to attend, with significant discounts for College members.
The conference, which will take place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre on Friday and Saturday 24-25 March 2023, is on the theme of Excellence for the dental team.
Some of the biggest names in the international dental community will join forces with experts from across the UK to offer a unique dental conference at London’s largest dedicated conference and exhibition space, right in the historic heart of the city next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.
Encompassing areas from implantology to endodontics, the conference will support the whole dental team to deliver the most up-to-date and effective procedures and patient outcomes, with 17 speakers confirmed to date:
Prof Dr Avijit Banerjee FCGDent, Professor of Cariology & Operative Dentistry at King’s College London, and Chair of the CGDent Career Pathways Programme Board
Dr Krzysztof Chmielewski, Specialist in implantology and aesthetic dentistry, Gdansk
ZTM Vincent Fehmer, Dental Technician, Geneva; Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Esthetic Dentistry
Dr Guillaume Jouanny, Endodontist, and Clinical Instructor at the University of Paris Descartes
Dr Bertrand Khayat, Endodontist and author of Microsurgical Endodontics
Dr Stefen Koubi, Associate Professor in Restorative Dentistry, Marseille University
Dr Amit PatelFCGDent, Associate Specialist in Periodontics and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, University of Birmingham Dental School
Dr Shanon Patel, Consultant/Honorary Senior Lecturer in Endodontics, King’s College London
Prof Dr Bjarni Pjetursson, Professor and Chairman, Department of Reconstructive Dentistry, University of Iceland; Titular Professor, Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials, University of Geneva
Dr Ana Poveda, Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Oral Medicine, University of Birmingham Dental School
Dr Tif Qureshi, Founder and Clinical Director of IAS Academy; special interest in orthodontics and minimally invasive dentistry
Prof Dr Irena Sailer, Chair, Division of Fixed Prosthodontics and Biomaterials, University of Geneva; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Dr Werner Schupp, Specialist in orthodontics, Cologne; past President of the German Board of Orthodontics and Orofacial Orthopedics
Dr Wendy Thompson FCGDent, Chair of the FDI-World Dental Federation working group on antibiotics; CGDent lead on antimicrobial stewardship
Dr Ulrike Uhlmann, Dentist with a special interest in paediatric dentistry, Leipzig; author of Dentistry for Kids: Rethinking Your Daily Practice
Dr Istvan Urban, Lecturer in implant dentistry, Loma Linda University, California; Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Periodontology and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan
Dr Otto Zuhr, Specialist in periodontology, Munich; Associate Professor, Department of Periodontology, Goethe University, Frankfurt
Further speakers, and a complete conference schedule, will be announced shortly.
Tickets for the two-day event are now available, with reduced rates for dental hygienists, therapists, nurses, technicians and students. Discounts of up to 40% are available to College members, including any who join immediately prior to booking, until the conference is sold out.Non-member delegates in all categories receive £150 off their applicable rate if they book by 31 October 2022.
Delegates will soon also be able to book onto a drinks reception and formal dinner with the speakers, fellow College members and other participants on the Friday evening.
Quintessence Publishing provides the latest scientific and clinical information to meet the needs of the whole dental profession. Renowned for the clarity of its writing and illustration, and for the quality of its congresses and symposia, it operates in 21 countries, and has published 61 professional journals and 1,500 book titles by more than 3,000 authors and in over 15 languages.
It has long been a vision for the College to form distinct Faculties for the different professions within the dental team. Faculty Chairs, Louise Belfield, Bill Sharpling and John Stanfield, update us on the progress they have made so far.
Louise BelfieldBill SharplingJohn Stanfield
Louise Belfield, Chair of the Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy
I am delighted to announce the formation of the inaugural board for the Faculty of Dental Nursing and Orthodontic Therapy. Combined, Dental Nurses plus Orthodontic Therapists make up around 50% of the dental workforce, and it is our privilege to represent our registrant communities at the College of General Dentistry.
Our Board brings together a wealth of knowledge and expertise, along with a broad range of experience in general dental practice and beyond, including practice management, NHS and private practice, civilian and military, workforce, postgraduate education, academia, and research, as well as representation from the United Kingdom nations.
Our Board members are:
Louise Belfield (Chair and member of the College Council)
Debbie Reed (Vice-Chair)
Jane Dalgarno
Angie Heilmann
Amanda Knight
Kathryn Marshall
Sharon Morrow
All of our Board members are passionate volunteers, dedicated to the advancement of career opportunities, recognition of achievement, and parity of esteem for our Dental Nurses and Orthodontic Therapists.
Developing our new Faculty board presents some unique challenges, and with those come unique opportunities. Perhaps more than other registrant categories, Dental Nurse training is varied and diverse; there are multiple qualifications that can lead to GDC registration, and they are typically delivered outside of Higher Education Institutions, which can funnel graduates into well-established career pipelines. Combined with the lack of an obvious direction for career development once qualified, these factors can make the waters of career advancement rather muddy. Therefore, a key objective for our inaugural Faculty board is to implement the newly developed Career Pathways framework, led by our Vice-Chair Debbie Reed.
We have also prioritised development of the Faculty membership pathways for Dental Nurses and Orthodontic Therapists. Our newly developing Faculty membership criteria uphold the highest clinical standards and are relevant and accessible to our community of professionals. It is also important to note that for the first time, all levels of membership and fellowship of the College are open to all dental professionals, and we encourage our eligible members to consider application. Our Career Pathways framework can support our members to meet the different levels of Faculty and College criteria.
However, our Faculty is only as strong as its membership. It is imperative that we work together with our members at all stages of their careers, including trainees and newly qualified members, to develop the Faculty in a direction that serves our community. We are determined that both registrant categories within the Faculty have equivalent voice, and as such we are especially keen to engage with our community of Orthodontic Therapists. We know that amongst our Dental Nurses and Orthodontic Therapists there are many experienced, talented, highly achieving professionals who have made significant impact on patient and public health, and the dental profession. Our ultimate aim as a board is to provide means to fully recognise those contributions, in parity with other registrant categories, and to provide support and guidance for our members to realise their career ambitions to their fullest potential.
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 is a member of the College Council, the Professional Affairs Committee and the Membership Admissions Panel.
Bill Sharpling, Chair of the Faculty of Clinical Dental Technology & Dental Technology
It has been a pleasure to be involved in the College of General Dentistry since its very early days, after registering as a supporter in 2018. In 2020, I was invited to join the College Advisory Strategy Group and I built a team of Clinical Dental Technicians (CDTs) and Dental Technicians (DTs) who were keen to work together for the greater good of the College and the profession. I Chair the CDT and DT Working Group that has contributed to the development of the Career Pathway and Professional Framework and am a member of the College Council.
As soon as the opportunity arose to progress the creation of the four College Faculties, work began on assembling what would become the Board of our own Faculty, the Faculty of Clinical Dental Technology and Dental Technology (FCDTDT). It is worth noting that the actual final title of the Faculty is still under discussion by the Board and has not yet been finalised.
The Faculty Board members are:
Bill Sharpling (Chair and member of the College Council)
Steve Taylor (Vice Chair)
Mike Brindle
Lee Butler
Tony Laurie
Jiri Matl
Caroline Persaud
Emily Pittard
David Reay
The Board are a great bunch with a real mix of experience and huge amounts of enthusiasm to see real progression for our CDT and DT professions. Each member has shown such dedication to their role and have all taken on specific positions to enable progress. With such a small group it is not possible to replicate the structure and member roles of the full College Council but we have hopefully been able to cover most elements with this select group.
Each of the devolved nations has representation should it be needed. Mike, Jiri and Caroline have made themselves available to consider issues relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively. Tony and Steve are overseeing the faculty’s CPD activities and Emily is the Early Careers representative. Membership admissions will be managed by Lee and David with Caroline and Mike having the extra responsibility for Career Pathways activity.
The Board has met a couple of times and is scheduled to meet at least three times each year just ahead of Council meetings. Each meeting will have a principal theme. So far, the schedule has included CPD, membership levels and Career Pathway work. During the CPD meeting, Board members were joined by Robert Dyas from ProDental CPD and good progress was made regarding arranging a CPD programme for both DTs and CDTs.
DTs and CDTs are encouraged to join CGDent and once they have done so, will automatically also become a member of the Faculty. Members will be able to apply to join the Faculty at a certain level which is dependent on qualifications and/or experience. The level that one can join then determines the post nominals that a Faculty member is entitled to use. Members will also be able to join a Certified Membership Scheme which will enable them to be supported and mentored at the same time as progressing through the Career Pathway, mapped against certain criteria.
These are very early days for the Faculty, but with the continued support from the Board and the guidance and direction from the College, progress will continue to be made and the profession will see significant benefits for the long term.
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 and Honorary Professor at RAK College of Dental Sciences, UAE. Bill is a member of the College Council and the Careers and Training Committee.
John Stanfield, Chair of the Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy
Throughout the formation of the College of General Dentistry, the creation of Faculties supporting each of the dental team groups, with membership levels that are attained by progression through the Career Pathway, has been a key vision.
The work that has been ongoing in a multi-threaded stream, has now allowed us to start to form the faculties. To this end, we have appointed an inaugural board to the Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy which will guide the Faculty until we have enough members to have elections.
The Board members are:
John Stanfield (Chair and member of the College Council)
Frances Robinson (Vice Chair)
Sarah Hill
Laura McClune
Sarah Murray
Fiona Sandom
Miranda Steeples
Deborah Stratford
Kirstie Thwaites
The Board, as you can see, brings together a huge amount of experience and qualifications to lead us forward in this historic and bold move for the profession. Our tasks, as we go forward, enthuse each of us, knowing this can only improve our standing both within the dental profession and that of the general public.
Our Faculty has to grow, we require members to become part of our community, to set and raise standards, and to have input into how the Faculty and the College are run. We have our voice on the College Council, with full voting rights, this task has been appointed to me until we vote for a chair of the Faculty who will then join the Council.
Previously I had been involved with FGDP, both as a member and vice-chair of the DCP committee and as the editor of ‘Team in Practice’. However, we couldn’t be full Members, nor did we have any voting rights. I took on this role to support the vision of a College that would represent the whole dental team with an opportunity for all to be full Members. We all have the same chance to be admitted to the community as Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows of the Faculty and the College. Many have already been admitted as Associate Fellows of the College and we have just had our first Faculty member admitted as a Fellow of the College – my congratulations go to Fiona Sandom.
Currently, the Board is working on adapting the Career Pathways in Dentistry Professional Framework to meet the needs of our constituents, mapping this against the expected career stages.
The Faculty will be expected to contribute to College publications, standards and guidance, to any of the press releases which involve our members and to this end we will be bringing on board those of you with particular experience and expertise. We are very aware of the increasing academic achievements of our constituents and the research they are carrying out and want to make the most of this.
Joining the faculty and the college brings with it certain benefits:
Recognition of postgraduate training and experience, your pathway from Safe Practitioner to Accomplished Practitioner
CPD via ProDental CPD (over 1000 hours)
Primary Dental Journal
Certified Membership Scheme
Belonging to a community of like-minded professionals
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. John is also a member of the College Council.
Sana Hussain, second year BDS student at King’s College London, describes how she made the most of her first year at dental school.
Starting the first year of dental school comes with a mixture of emotions – excitement, anticipation, enthusiasm – and it is completely normal to also feel slightly overwhelmed. I have recently finished my first year and have learned many tips about enjoying life at dental school, that I wish I had known earlier.
Time management at dental school will be the biggest determinator of both your success and how much fun you have. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of allowing studying to take over your day-to-day life, so it’s important to balance this. Despite what other people may tell you, dental school isn’t only about lectures and studying.
Schedule down time
My first piece of advice would be to schedule down time. This can look different for everyone; it could be a few hours a week for sports, or any activity that relaxes you. Ensuring you have a few hours a week to do this activity means you feel ready for the next week of learning. I joined a netball team where I have made many great friendships and met so many new people. I found it was a great way for me to unwind and do something I really enjoyed.
Keep a to-do list
Having a to-do list can be extremely helpful as it allows you to stay on top of lectures. It can become so easy to end up with a never-ending list of lectures if you leave them to the last minute, so make sure you do them as you go along the academic year. Consistency is the goal. Doing a little often means you are less likely to feel overwhelmed. By having a to-do list, you have a clear idea of how many lectures need to be done and how long they will take. By the time your end of year examinations come around, you hopefully won’t feel the stress of cramming and can avoid any unnecessary panic.
Join a society
During dental school, you will meet so many new people and have lots of new experiences. A great way to meet new people is through societies. Universities offer a wide range of societies that focus on all sorts of areas such as sports, world food, or the creative arts, so try to join the societies that interest you. There is probably a society for any hobby you already have, no matter how unique. And of course, societies are a fantastic way to pursue new interests, in things you might have not even heard of before.
Experiment with study techniques
The last thing I’d like to mention is studying techniques. It might be a while until you truly figure out what works best for you, whether that’s flashcards or mind maps. There’s no specific way to revise and you might find that a mixture of different ways of revising works best for you. It might also be the case that the way you have previously revised no longer works for you anymore and that’s completely okay. It took me a few months to find what worked best for me and even now, I still try to change some aspects of my revision. Don’t feel pressured into thinking there is a set time by which you have to know what works well for you.
Consider joining a study group
Study groups are another good way to revise. I found learning and going over content with others consolidated what I knew and highlighted the topics I didn’t. This way I was able to target my revision more effectively.
Many people forget that although part of life at dental school is revision and studying, it is not the entirety of your experience. If you only take away one piece of advice from this blog, please remember to enjoy dental school and make time to do the things you love the most.
Author bio
“I am currently in my second year of dentistry at Kings College London. Since I have only just finished my first year, I am keen to learn more about all the different specialities that dentistry offers. Outside of dental school, I enjoy playing netball and tennis in my spare time. I am also a huge fan of trying new foods and cuisines, always searching for the best new restaurant.”
Sana Hussain
This student advice blog was published in September 2022.
We are saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We give thanks for her extraordinary life of service to our nation; our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family at this sad time.
The new edition of the Primary Dental Journal, Oral Surgery, is now online.
Guest edited by Dr Aneesha Shah of King’s College London, this issue highlights the pertinent themes relevant to common oral surgery problems, covering a wide array of topics facing the primary dental care team.
It clearly presents many of the latest oral surgery approaches, techniques, and philosophies, featuring papers on predicting dental extractions, considerations for the medically complex patient, temporomandibular disorder, and managing complications.
The issue also features the first of five domains from the College’sCareer Pathways in Dentistry: Professional Framework, which describes the knowledge, skills and other attributes expected of primary care dental professionals at different career stages – from safe practitioner through to accomplished practitioner. The ‘Clinical & Technical’ domain published in this issue will be followed by ‘Professionalism’, ‘Reflection’, ‘Development’, and ‘Agency’ domains in future issues of the Primary Dental Journal.
Full access to the majority of articles is reserved for College of General Dentistry members and Primary Dental Journal subscribers. For non-members / non-subscribers, individual print issues are available to purchase from £37. An annual print subscription, normally costing £114, is included with membership of the College. Membership is available from £94 for dentists and £33 for all other registered dental professionals, and also includes online access to the PDJ Archive of over 1,300 articles, and a range of other benefits.
CGDent members and PDJ subscribers should expect their printed copies to arrive in the next 2–3 weeks.
On behalf of the College, the PDJ editorial team would like to express its gratitude to all the authors and peer reviewers who have contributed to the publication of this issue.
A full list of papers is below.
CGDent members can view full articles via the links below by first visiting the PDJ Member Access page and clicking ‘Access the PDJ Archive’.
Help us in our historic mission to build a future Royal College for dentistry
Closing date extended to Friday 7 October 2022 in response to feedback from members.
An independent Trustee is being sought for the College of General Dentistry, as we bring the dental team together, to advance oral healthcare in the UK and beyond. Our independent Trustees, who come from outside dentistry, are central role to the effective delivery of our mission.
The Board of Trustees has identified a particular need to supplement their skills in the following areas:
legal matters as they pertain to a Charity
matters relating to the College’s objectives as a professional body and member organisation.
Our mission has never appeared so critical. At a time when dentistry faces immense challenges, we are developing a vital role. We are building a strong and trusted professional community of practice, serving patients and public. Our ground-breaking career pathways and Certified Membership provide new support needed by all dental professionals, and our Guidance and Standards underpin high quality in the practice of dentistry in every part of the country.
We aim to pursue a Royal Charter, elevating the standing of general dentistry alongside its medical professional peers. Dentistry deserves that recognition.
So this is an exciting time to join the Trustee Board of the College. You will help us to establish and shape its development – after one year of operation.
You will be expected to contribute to effective custodianship of the organisation, with a thorough appreciation of the role of a Trustee in a modern Charity and professional membership body.
The Trustee Board, chaired by Dr Janet Clarke 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.
You will have an appreciation of business imperatives that underpin a growing organisation, reconciling financial viability with delivery of our overall mission in the patient and public interest.
Applications (by CV and covering letter, which should address the requirements described in the role profile, citing two references) must be received by 7 October 2022, addressed to [email protected]. Prospective candidates are advised that interviews are planned to be held in mid October in London.
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This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
PHPSESSID
session
This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
wordpress_test_cookie
session
This cookie is used to check if the cookies are enabled on the users' browser.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
