Special recognition for Dental Nursing representative

Congratulations to Jane Dalgarno AssocFCGDent, College Council representative for dental nursing and orthodontic therapy, who has received an Individual Contribution Special Recognition Award from the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN).

Jane Dalgarno RDN MSc AssocFCGDent

Given annually, the NEBDN’s Special Recognition Awards recognise the significant contributions made by individuals and groups to the dental nursing profession and to the NEBDN itself, and may reflect either a specific single achievement or achievements over a significant period of time.

Chair of the East of England Managed Clinical Network for Dental Care Professionals and a past President of the British Association of Dental Nurses, Ms Dalgarno began her career in general dental practice as a trainee dental nurse in 1986 and completed the National Certificate for Dental Surgery Assistants in 1993. A past Programme Director for the HEE Foundation Degree in Advanced Dental Nursing and former Clinical Workforce Development Lead at Community Dental Services CIC, she holds certificates in education, oral health education, sedation and dental radiography, the A1/A2 assessors award, a BSc in Primary Dental Care and an MSc in Applied Dental Professional Practice from the University of Kent. She has been on the Board of the College’s Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy since it was convened in 2021, and was a member of the Dental Nursing and Orthodontic Therapy Working Group which co-developed the College’s Professional Framework for Career Pathways in Dentistry. She was elected to her current College role in 2024.

She has received the Special Recognition Award in recognition of:

“…her exceptional and sustained contribution to education and professional development in dental nursing over more than 25 years. Through her extensive experience delivering and leading education across a wide range of NEBDN-linked and national programmes, alongside her work in qualification development, quality assurance, and Learner support, Jane has made a lasting impact on Learner success and professional standards. Her educational leadership, national influence and unwavering commitment to excellence make her a highly deserving recipient of this award”.

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CGDent-GC Award 2026 – winners

The College of General Dentistry, GC and The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation would like to congratulate the successful candidates in the 2026 CGDent and GC Award for Foundation Trainees, and thank everyone who entered.

A selection of successful cases which illustrate a range of different types of cases entered in the award. Cases submitted by (L-R) Dr Esha Gupta, Dr Xiaoyu Foo and Dr Lance Lesterpearson

This year, all 14 winning entrants are dentists, who between them studied at eight different dental schools and are now completing their Foundation / Vocational Training through eight different deaneries across the regions and nations of the UK.

Candidate nameUndergraduate qualificationEducational Supervisor(s)Deanery
Dr Abdurahman AbdiBDS Cardiff University 2025Dr Sian BlackshawWales
Dr Sahand AbolfathiBDS University of Glasgow 2025Dr Bushra BashirScotland
Dr Mariam AhmedBDS Newcastle University 2025Dr Rosie Johnston, Dr Heather CoventryNorth East and Cumbria
Dr Xiaoyu FooBDS University of Dundee 2025Dr Iain BuftonScotland
Dr Esha GuptaBDS University of Plymouth 2025Dr Saleem MullaMidlands
Dr Joshua HurleyBDS King’s College London 2025Dr Niloy KariaLondon and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Dr Anushka KapourBDS University of Plymouth 2025Dr Deepa Shah, Dr Neil ShahLondon and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Dr Daniel LekhiBDS University of Birmingham 2025Dr Brenda Macmillan, Dr Rebecca HamiltonThames Valley and Wessex
Dr Lance LesterpearsonBDS University of Plymouth 2024Dr Mohammed FaisalLondon and Kent, Surrey and Sussex
Dr Aqil MatinBDS University of Manchester 2025Dr Emily McConnellNorth West
Dr Imane NagiBDS University of Birmingham 2025Dr Bharat ModhwadiaNorth West
Dr Priyanka ShahBDS University of Dundee 2025Dr Nava Darzi, Dr Hardeep MatharuEast of England
Dr Safa ShareefBDS University of Manchester 2025Dr Jemma HookNorth West
Dr Heba TurkiBDS Newcastle University 2025Dr Neesha ChopraNorth East and Cumbria

To enter, each participant submitted a restorative case which included at least one anterior tooth restored with composite. Cases entered involved a range of restorative treatments including those for midline diastema, dental trauma, tooth wear and peg shaped laterals. View all the successful cases here.

The award was open to dentists and dental therapists who graduated in the UK or Ireland in 2025 and/or are undergoing Dental Foundation Training, Dental Vocational Training or Joint Dental Foundation Core Training in 2025-26. Entries were received from dentists and dental therapists around the country.  

The assessment panel, which comprised Trustees of The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation and senior members of the College, scored each case based on a set of assessment criteria which allocated points to overall improvement in the patient’s oral health (including periodontal health), the standard of aesthetic treatment, the complexity of the case and the quality of the entrant’s reflection.

The successful candidates are each awarded a fully-funded place on a two-day composite layering course which is taking place on 23-24 July 2026 at GC’s European Education Campus in Leuven, Belgium. The prize includes international travel and hotel costs and is worth around £1,400 per place.

The CGDent-GC Award is funded by The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation and organised in conjunction with the College and GC.

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation supports educational opportunities for early career dental professionals in the UK, and was founded by Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, a general dental practitioner with a special interest in restorative dentistry.

GC is an oral health company which manufactures dental systems and products which are sold around the world, and has won awards for its products and innovations. It provides both online and in-person training covering many areas of dental practice. 

The College, GC and the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation also collaborate on the new Tom Bereznicki Award for Tooth Wear Cases, which is currently open to dentists who qualified between 2020 and 2024, and who practise in the UK or Ireland, until Monday 10 August 2026, and which will offer up to 20 successful candidates a fully-funded place on a one-day, hands-on course on composite injection moulding technique.

The next round of the CGDent-CG Award will open in September 2026. For further information, visit our award page. To receive email notification when the competition opens, register your interest via the button below:

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College Vice-Presidents 2026-27

Anoup Nandra and Nicola Gore have been elected as the College’s Vice-Presidents for 2026-27.

Vice Presidents of the College: Nicola Gore FCGDent (l) and Anoup Nandra FCGDent (r)

Anoup Nandra FCGDent is Principal Dentist at a mixed NHS-and-private practice in Edgbaston and a private dental practice in Wolverhampton. He graduated from Birmingham in 2002 and completed Vocational Training in London before returning to the Midlands, where he has practised for twenty years. He has served as a clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham and as a Foundation Dental Trainer, and is a member of Birmingham Local Dental Committee as well as the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry. A Fellow of both CGDent and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, he has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Implant Dentistry from University College London, an MSc in Dental Implantology from the University of Lancashire and a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education from the University of Wolverhampton. He also holds an LLM in legal aspects of medical practice and the Cardiff University Bond Solon Civil Expert Witness Certificate. He was elected to represent the West Midlands on the College Council in 2024 and is Chair of the College’s Membership Admissions Panel.

Nicola Gore FCGDent is Principal of a dental practice in north London. Since qualifying as a dentist from the University of London in 1993, she has held various general practice and hospital maxillofacial posts within the UK and Australia, has taught undergraduate and graduate dental students and has trained over 25 Foundation Dentists. She holds the MJDF, a Postgraduate Certificate in Dental Education from the University of Bedfordshire and an MClinDent in Fixed & Removable Prosthodontics from the Royal London, and has also undertaken postgraduate training in orthodontics. Co-founder and President of the British Iranian Dental Association, she is a past committee member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a member of the British Society of Prosthodontics. She is co-author of the popular Dentistry in a Nutshell: A Practical Guide to Clinical Dentistry, and among the authors of the third edition of the College’s Standards in Dentistry publication. She has represented the North Thames region on the College Council since 2024 and served as a Vice President in 2025-26.


The College’s Vice-Presidents are elected annually by, and from within, the College Council, and support the President of the College in the delivery of the Council’s strategy and policy.

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Patricia Thomson to be awarded College Medal

Patricia Thomson FCGDent will be awarded this year’s College Medal, the College’s most prestigious honour.

 Dr Patricia Thomson FCGDent (l), winner of the 2026 College Medal (r)

Reserved for no more than one recipient per year, the College Medal is awarded for exceptional service to the dental profession and its patients in a manner aligned with the values and mission of the College. Dr Thomson has received the award in recognition of her wholehearted commitment to the profession, and her longstanding service to CGDent and previously to the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP), both nationally and in the west of Scotland.

Since graduating from Glasgow Dental School in 1983 until her retirement from practice this year, she amassed 43 years’ unbroken service as a general dental practitioner. Principal of a mixed NHS-and-private practice for over 30 years, she assisted the Vocational Dental Practitioners in her practice for over 20 of these, also nurturing the careers of many Dental Care Professionals, associate dentists and non-clinical staff. In recent years, she practised as a part-time associate dentist, and she continues to teach undergraduates as a part-time Clinical Teaching Fellow in the restorative department at the University of Glasgow.

Heavily involved for more than two decades in the highly active West of Scotland division of the former FGDP, she tutored numerous colleagues for entry exams for the Royal Colleges and presented teaching sessions on orthodontics to vocational trainees. Elected in 2016 to represent the West and North of Scotland on the national FGDP Board, she was re-elected in 2019 and transferred to the College Council when CGDent succeeded the FGDP.

In 2021, she led the establishment of CGDent Scotland to succeed the West of Scotland division, and has since continued her involvement both in the study groups and in planning the annual study days, which have been running since 1992 and now regularly attract over 400 colleagues.

She was appointed the first Chair of the College’s Regional Funding Panel and was elected Vice-President of the College in 2022. She served a second term as Vice-President in 2023-24, and was re-elected to the Council in 2024 before standing down in 2025 after completing the maximum permitted nine years’ service. She continues to represent the College as its nominee on the NHS Education for Scotland Dental Committee, a role she has held for many years.

With a longstanding interest in orthodontics, she spent three years on a part-time clinical attachment in Glasgow Dental School’s orthodontic department, training in fixed appliance therapy, and later completed an MSc in Primary Dental Care (Dental Science) with an interest in orthodontics, achieving a distinction.

She also holds the Diploma of Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MJDF) and the Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (MFDS), and is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and a Past President of the West of Scotland branch of the British Dental Association.

Dr Roshni Karia MCGDent, President of the College, said:

“I am delighted to be announcing this award to Patricia, and congratulate her on behalf of the whole College. She has worked tirelessly over many years, not least in her leadership capacity in Scotland, where together with committed colleagues she has helped foster an impressive and effective community of practice which has gone from strength to strength in delivering FGDP & College initiatives, particularly for the benefit of early careers practitioners. She epitomises what it means to be a College Fellow, and was a diligent member of the FGDP(UK) Board and College Council, and Vice President, whose countless contributions have helped define the College’s development throughout its early years. She remains a devoted and uncompromising champion of general dental practice, and is an extremely worthy and deserved recipient of the College Medal.” 

Dr Thomson will be the fifth recipient of the College Medal, following Ian MillsAndrew HaddenArio Santini and Kevin Lewis, and will have it conferred at the College Fellows’ Summer Reception in London on the evening of Thursday 25 June 2026. All Fellows and Associate Fellows of the College are welcome to attend, with tickets available via the button below:

Further details of the College’s honours and awards are available here

This year’s CGDent Scotland Study Day will take place on Friday 4 December at Glasgow Science Centre, where Dr Noland Naidoo, Dr Helen Kaney FCGDent, Professor Murali Srinivasan and Professor Gerry McKenna FCGDent will lecture on ‘Digital dentistry for the dental team’. All dental professionals are welcome, and further information and tickets are available here

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Recruitment of a Credentialling Development Manager

The College is looking for a Credentialling Development Manager to help complete the development and implementation of its Certified Practitioner programme. The programme is a series of credentialling schemes which will validate and recognise a practitioner’s skills, knowledge and experience at an advanced level in particular fields of dental practice.

The Credentialling Development Manager is a contractor role anticipated to last around six months, which will project-manage the construction and completion of the schemes and their systems of assessment. They will work with senior practitioners via working groups to ensure that robust systems and processes are developed to underpin quality and operational effectiveness, and to provide a good experience for candidates. 

The credentialling schemes will provide authoritative validation of enhanced capability for patients, colleagues and NHS commissioners. The schemes require practitioners to submit a detailed portfolio of evidence which will be assessed by a panel against an agreed curriculum and set of criteria. We have piloted the application and assessment processes with a small number of candidates for the Certified Practitioner in Endodontics scheme, and this will open more widely to dentists shortly, followed by schemes for Oral Surgery and Implant Dentistry, with further disciplines thereafter.

We are seeking someone who is decisive and delivery-focussed, with high attention to detail, persistence and the ability to see a project through to the end. The ideal candidate will have strong communications skills; experience of project management, building systems, quality assurance and managing senior stakeholders; and a background in professional credentialing, regulation, healthcare education or postgraduate assessment. Full details are in the role description below:

Applications should be sent by email to [email protected] using the subject line “Credentialling Development Manager”. Applicants should submit their CV together with a supporting statement setting out their suitability and skills with reference to the role description.

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Foundation Nakao – CGDent Award in Coaching and Mentoring 2026

The 2026 Foundation Nakao – CGDent Coaching and Mentoring Award for Dental Care Professionals is now open.

Establishing a mentor and coaching culture is key to the College’s commitment to workforce diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing. In promoting effective mentoring practice, we aim to foster appropriate support in the career pathway progression for all members of the oral healthcare team.

Thanks to sponsorship by Foundation Nakao, generously donated through Prof Avijit Banerjee FCGDent, and following the success of the 2025 award, we are able once again to a number of places on a three day training course in mentoring and coaching in 2026.

The award is open to College members who are registered as a dental therapist, dental hygienist, dental nurse, orthodontic therapist, dental technician or clinical dental technician. Our aspiration is to cultivate a community of College members amongst Dental Care Professionals who are equipped and confident to nurture their peers, and dentist members are therefore asked to support this aim by highlighting the opportunity to dental team colleagues.

The short course will be delivered synchronously online, using the Zoom platform, by UMD Professional, an organisation with more than thirty years of experience with dentistry, medicine, healthcare and law, to establishing coaching and mentoring practices within organisations*.

Course dates

  • Day 1. Friday 9 October 2026
  • Day 2. Saturday 10 October 2026
  • Day 3 Friday 27 November 2026

Applicants must:

  1. Hold a current membership of the College at the time of application, in one of the registered Dental Care Professional roles. Join today.
  2. Have at least two years of post-qualification experience in the role.
  3. Be available to participate in all three days of the training.
  4. Be prepared to:
    • apply mentoring or coaching skills between Day 2 and Day 3.
    • apply the learning to support less experienced colleagues through the College
    • contribute to the promotion of the experience in mentorship through an article or at a College event.

To apply

Download and complete the application form, which should be submitted by email to [email protected] using the subject line “Application for Foundation Nakao – CGDent Award 2026”.

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on Friday 31 July 2026.

Places will be awarded based on candidates’ motivations, commitment to professional development and potential for impact in their practice and more widely, as evidenced through their application form. Successful applicants will be informed by email in August.

Foundation Nakao – also known as The Nakao Foundation for Worldwide Oral Health – was founded in Luzern in 2018 by Makato Nakao, Chairman of GC Corporation, a leading manufacturer of dental materials and equipment. GC also partners with the College on the CGDent-GC Award for Foundation Trainees and The Tom Bereznicki Award for Tooth Wear Cases.

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Fellowships for the whole dental team

The College has launched fellowships for each role in the wider dental team.

Recognising professional accomplishment in clinical and other areas of practice, the new fellowships are:

  • Fellowship in Dental Nursing – FDN (CGDent)
  • Fellowship in Orthodontic Therapy – FOT (CGDent)
  • Fellowship in Dental Hygiene – FDH (CGDent)
  • Fellowship in Dental Therapy – FDTher (CGDent)
  • Fellowship in Dental Technology – FDTech (CGDent)
  • Fellowship in Clinical Dental Technology – FCDT (CGDent)

The launch of the new fellowships represents a significant advance in the professional recognition available to members of the wider dental team.

It is also the latest stage in the fulfilment of the College’s founding ambition to promote and develop the whole team, and follows the recent inauguration of Deans to lead its Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy, Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy and Faculty of Clinical Dental Technology & Dental Technology.

Every registered Dental Care Professional is eligible to join the College as an Associate Member. Those holding a recognised and relevant Postgraduate Certificate may join as (or upgrade to become) a Full Member (MCGDent), and those satisfying any one of the College’s five fellowship domains (see below) can qualify as an Associate Fellow (AssocFCGDent).

The six new fellowships are open to dental professionals with at least ten years’ experience in practice who fulfil the requirements of any two of the College’s fellowship domains. Each domain has a range of possible routes to eligibility. Example routes are in the following table:

Fellowship domainSummary / example routes
Clinical & TechnicalRecognised and relevant PgDip or Master’s degree  
Teaching & AssessmentFHEA or FAcadMEd or  
PgCert in Dental, Medical or Clinical Education plus 3 years’ service in a recognised role or  
8 years’ service in a recognised role plus either 27 hours’ relevant and recent CPD or FDTFEd  
Leadership, Management & Clinical GovernanceDiploma-level leadership qualification or
Certificate-level leadership qualification plus 3 years’ leadership experience or  
3 years’ senior leadership experience plus 10 hours’ relevant and recent CPD
Research & PublicationsPhD or
Master’s degree including a research dissertation worth 30+ credits or
5+ peer-reviewed articles published in MEDLINE-indexed publications or Dental Update
Law & EthicsPgCert or PgDip in a legally-related subject relevant to dentistry plus 1 year’s experience in a relevant role or  
5 years’ experience in a relevant role plus 10 hours’ relevant and recent CPD

A Fellow in Dental Nursing, Orthodontic Therapy, Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy, Dental Technology or Clinical Dental Technology may also become a College Fellow (FCGDent) should they meet the requirements of a third fellowship domain. Fellowship for dentists is only available in the form of College Fellowship, requiring satisfaction of three domains.

Fellows are senior members of the College, with their Fellowship marking them out as ‘Accomplished Practitioners’ on the College’s Career Pathway. Providing leadership and support to the development of dentistry, they can attend the College’s biannual Fellows’ Receptions, and have the opportunity for ceremonial admission by the President.

In addition to enhanced professional standing, Fellows and Associate Fellows of the College receive a reduction in their dental indemnity fees with Dental Protection. They can also enrol on a one year, part-time, distance learning MSc in General Dental Practice (which in itself satisfies the Research & Publications domain of fellowship).

All College members receive quarterly print issues of the Primary Dental Journal, the only peer-reviewed professional development journal dedicated to general dental practice, as well as free or heavily discounted access to live CPD events, study days and networking opportunities.

Dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists all receive a one-third discount on the College’s standard membership fees. Dental nurses receive a two-thirds discount, as do retired members and overseas practitioners.

There is no fee for applying to become a Fellow, and existing members who successfully upgrade will only start paying the applicable higher membership fee from their next annual renewal.

Full details of the College’s fellowship domains, and a link to apply for the relevant Fellowship, are available via the button below:

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Midlands Study Club summer programme

The CGDent Midlands group hosts regular face-to-face midweek Study Club evenings, with CPD certificates provided. These are free for College members, with a small fee payable by non-members.

Leaders of upcoming CGDent Midlands Study Club events (clockwise from top left): Dr Aron Kandola, Dr Prakash Parekh, Dr Simran Bains, Dr Nick Robson, Dr Kam Panesar and Dr Vishal Klaire

Study Club evenings are designed to provide practical, peer-led learning that can be immediately applied in general dental practice, combining short, GDP-focussed teaching with interactive discussion of real-world cases and clinical challenges.

Most recently, the group discussed aesthetic and adhesive dentistry, and other subjects covered this year include cracks and dental pain, periodontics and dental implants. Previous topics have included endodontics, difficult extractions, dental photography, occlusion, tooth wear and bruxism, paediatric dentistry, managing medically compromised patients, hands-on suturing and rubber dam isolation.

Its summer programme of upcoming events comprises:

Each of the above events will take place at Rock Dental, a specialist referral practice in Wolverhampton, and is sponsored by Wrights UK. Space at each event is limited so early booking is advised.

Further information and booking is available via the button below:

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New member elected to College Council

The College has announced that Dr Ralph Pickup FCGDent has been elected to the Mersey & North West seat on its Council.

Dr Ralph Pickup FCGDent, the newly elected College Council member for Mersey & North West

Dr Pickup is a partner and general dental practitioner in a private dental practice in Clitheroe, Lancashire, where he accepts referrals for endodontic treatment. He graduated BDS from Newcastle Dental School in 1997 with distinction in restorative dentistry, and subsequently practised NHS dentistry in Newcastle, Stanley (County Durham) and Thornton Cleveleys (Lancashire). He holds a Diploma in Conscious Sedation in Dentistry from Newcastle University, both an Advanced Certificate in Facilitating Learning in Healthcare Practice and a Postgraduate Diploma in Endodontics from the University of Central Lancashire, the Diploma in Dental Health Services Leadership and Management and Diploma of Fellowship of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP), and the Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. A former FGDP Fellowship Facilitator, he is a Foundation Member, Founding Contributor, Fellow and Certified Membership Facilitator of the College of General Dentistry, as well as a donor to its recent Coat of Arms Appeal. Chair of East Lancashire Local Dental Committee and a member of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, he participates in his Local Dental Network and Dental Practitioner Advice and Support Service scheme, and has previously been an educational supervisor for NHS Foundation Training. A Fellow of the International College of Dentists, he is a member of the British Endodontic Society, American Association of Endodontists, Northwest Endodontic Study Circle, Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry, British Society for Restorative Dentistry and the British Society for Academic and Clinical Hypnosis.


He will be inaugurated at the Council’s Summer meeting in London on Friday 12 June, and succeeds Janine Yazdi-Doughty FCGDent

The Council is the voice of the College’s members, overseeing its role as a professional body and guiding its development to fulfil its mission. Elections are held annually on a rotational basis, with elected members serving three-year terms after which they are eligible to stand for re-election (subject to a lifetime limit of nine years’ service on the Council, including any past service on the National Board of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK).


Nominations will open in January for 11 seats due for election in 2027:

  • Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy
  • Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy
  • Faculty of Dental Technology & Clinical Dental Technology
  • Faculty of Dentists
  • Central London
  • North Thames
  • South West England
  • Trent & East Anglia
  • Wales
  • West Midlands
  • Yorkshire & Northern

To stand for a Faculty seat, you must be an Associate Member, Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College, and must be registered with the GDC (or overseas equivalent) in a relevant role for the seat. Candidates for regional seats must be a Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College (in any team role) and must live or work within that region, and be registered to that region with the College.

Further information is available here

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Four new routes to Associate Fellowship

The College has opened four new routes to Associate Fellowship, expanding eligibility to those with suitable knowledge and experience in teaching, leadership, research or dento-legal matters.

A stepping stone to Fellowship, Associate Fellowship was introduced by the College at its inception to increase the standing of those dental professionals who have significantly developed their knowledge and skills. Open to those in all dental team roles, it bridges the large gap between Membership and Fellowship which previously offered no further recognition of these individuals’ achievements.

To date, Associate Fellowship has only been open to those holding particular qualifications, broadly aligning it to the requirements of the old Clinical domain of College Fellowship.

However, to widen relevance across different aspects of professional achievement, and to further recognise the diversity of contributions made to the profession in the service of patients, Associate Fellowship is now open to any dental professional with at least five years’ experience in practice who meets the requirements of any one of the College’s five Fellowship domains.

The recently revised domain requirements are openly published so that prospective Associate Fellows can easily check their eligibility and be confident in their application.

A summary of the domain requirements is below:

Clinical & Technical

This domain requires the applicant either to hold an eligible award or to submit a clinical portfolio demonstrating equivalent training and capability.

Qualifying awards include a relevant Postgraduate Diploma, Master’s degree or PhD from a recognised UK or EHEA higher education institution or an accredited UK provider; the CGDent Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics or Certified Practitioner status; specialty membership of a UK Royal College or Royal College faculty; a diploma in a specific dental discipline from RCS England, RCS Edinburgh or the former FGDP; the MGDS, MAGDS, MDS or MRACDS; and Accredited Full Membership of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Alternatively, applications by clinical portfolio are currently open in Restorative Dentistry, with specifications for Implant Dentistry and Orthodontics due to be published soon.

Teaching & Assessment

This requires applicants to either be recognised by an authoritative body in this field, to have a relevant Postgraduate Certificate together with three years’ qualifying experience, or to have eight years’ qualifying experience plus verified training.

For example, applicants can qualify if they have eight years’ service as an NHS Educational Supervisor (for at least 200 hours per year), together with either 27 hours’ relevant and recent CPD or Fellowship of the Faculty of Dental Trainers of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Leadership, Management & Clinical Governance

Applicants under this domain should either hold an eligible diploma-level leadership qualification, or a certificate-level leadership qualification together with three years’ service in a relevant leadership role, or have three years’ experience in a defined senior leadership role together with 10 hours’ relevant and recent CPD.

For example, applicants qualify if they have three years’ experience of leadership, oversight and accountability as principal or partner of a multi-chair practice with a minimum of six registrants, together with a relevant Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate or ILM Level 5 diploma.

Research & Publications

Applicants should either have completed a relevant Doctorate or Master’s degree including a research dissertation, or have had at least five peer-reviewed articles published in MEDLINE-indexed publications (such as the Primary Dental Journal) or Dental Update.

Law & Ethics

This domain requires applicants to have either five years’ experience in a qualifying role together with 10 hours’ relevant and recent CPD, or to have a law degree or relevant postgraduate qualification together with a year’s experience in a relevant role.

Associate Fellows are senior members of the College who are advancing their journey towards Fellowship. Recognised as ‘Enhanced Practitioners’ on the College’s Career Pathway, their professional standing is marked out by the use of the postnominal AssocFCGDent.

As members of the Fellowship Community, Associate Fellows reflect the College’s values and focus on professionalism, and help provide leadership and support to the development of dentistry. They can attend the prestigious biannual Fellows’ Receptions, and have the opportunity for ceremonial admission by the President.

Associate Fellows receive a 5% reduction in their dental indemnity fees with Dental Protection. They are also eligible to enrol on a ‘top-up’ MSc in General Dental Practice, completion of which can be achieved in a single year of part-time distance learning and would take them a further step towards Fellowship by satisfying the Research & Publications domain.

Like all College members, Associate Fellows receive quarterly print issues of the Primary Dental Journal, the only peer-reviewed professional development journal dedicated to general dental practice, as well as free or heavily discounted access to live CPD events, study days and networking opportunities.

There is no fee for applying to become an Associate Fellow, and existing members who successfully upgrade will only start paying the applicable higher membership fee from their next annual renewal.

Full details of the domains, and a link to apply for Associate Fellowship of the College, are available by clicking the button below:

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