College of General Dentistry News

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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College of General Dentistry News

College launches Professional Framework for dental careers

The College has launched its much-anticipated Professional Framework, which describes the expected level of a dental practitioner’s capabilities at each stage of their careers.

Aimed at providing recognition of professional development and promoting job satisfaction and workforce retention, Career Pathways in Dentistry: Professional Framework sets out the knowledge, skills and other attributes which define each of five career stages – safe, capable, experienced, enhanced and accomplished – for each role in the primary dental care team, and for each of five domains within each stage – clinical and technical, professionalism, reflection, development, and agency.

The framework has been mapped out by four working groups – representing dentists, dental hygienists & therapists, dental nurses & orthodontic therapists, and dental & clinical dental technicians – working together through a programme board and reference group.

The creation of career pathways for general dental practice was a key founding purpose of the College, and the Professional Framework provides the intellectual foundation of our Career Pathways in Dentistry programme, which is supported by Colgate.

The College is also developing a Certified Membership scheme, which will provide dental professionals with the tools to guide their individual postgraduate development journey. This will present the opportunity to embark on a pathway that fits in with personal learning and training goals using a flexible, modular approach supported by a facilitated, reflective personal development plan. It will also provide a structure through which those already established in their careers can further develop their career aspirations and/or mentor less experienced colleagues. This unique proposition, which will be for all members of the dental team, will enable dental professionals to demonstrate that they have met the capabilities for each career stage as defined in the Professional Framework. Progressing along the scheme will be a journey of professional development, rather than an end-point examination, and one in which the individual will be supported.

Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College, and Professor Avijit Banerjee, Chair of the College’s Career Pathways Programme Board, said:

“Those who carve out a career in the primary dental care sector have been almost unique within healthcare professions in not having defined career structures to support their professional development, despite the presence of multiple training opportunities.

“The CGDent Professional Framework adopts an innovative approach which encourages flexibility for dental professionals to meet their practice and career aspirations, whilst recognising milestones along their often varied professional journeys, by providing a clear and coherent supporting structure.

“It is a product made for dental professionals and by dental professionals, and the College owes its thanks to the many dentists, hygienists, therapists, nurses and technicians who have contributed to it, as well as to Colgate for their generous support that has enabled it to be completed.”

Career Pathways in Dentistry: Professional Framework is available for all dental professionals to download free of charge.

The College is inviting feedback on the Professional Framework in order to refine it and make it as robust as possible, and encourages dental professionals to explore it, test it out, and consider how they might use it to support their own development as well as that of colleagues. Feedback should be submitted online here

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College of General Dentistry News

College endorses menopause policy for dental employers

The College has endorsed the menopause policy and advice recently published by the British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN).

In the UK, 99% of dental nurses, 96% of orthodontic therapists, 94% of dental hygienists,  92% of dental therapists, 52% of dentists and 27% of dental technicians are female – 78% of the regulated dental profession as a whole – and the policy outlines the challenges faced by menopausal women in the workplace and suggests ways in which employers can support menopausal employees. 

The Association is asking dental practices, laboratories and clinics to adopt the policy and implement it in their workplace, and is asking dental organisations to support it by encouraging its widespread adoption.

The College of General Dentistry, membership of which is open to all dental and oral health professionals, is the first organisation representing dentists to do so. The College is the independent professional body into which the Faculty of General Dental Practice transferred last year, and is the UK’s only medical college run by and for oral health professionals.

Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry, said:

“The BADN’s Menopause Policy is important, practical and succinct advice which helps dental professionals to better understand the menopause, to appreciate relevant employment law, and to implement a menopause policy in their practice.

Making appropriate adjustments for staff affected by the menopause is both a moral duty enabling committed and experienced colleagues to remain in valuable employment, and a legal duty not to discriminate on the grounds of gender, age or disability. Supportive dental practices and understanding employers will also find they benefit in return from improved staff retention and reduced sickness absence.

On behalf of the College, I congratulate the BADN on its publication, and am pleased to endorse it.”

The policy is also supported by the British Society of Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT), the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT), the British Dental Industry Association (BDIA), the Dental Laboratories Association (DLA), the Dental Technologists’ Association (DTA), the Orthodontic National Group (ONG), and the British Veterinary Nurses’ Association (BVNA).

The publication is available on the BADN website here. 

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College of General Dentistry News

Anniversary PDJ issue now online

The special anniversary edition of the Primary Dental Journal, The General Issue – part 2, is now online.

Due to the number of high-quality papers submitted this year, the annual General Issue, which covers a wide range of subjects relevant to the primary dental care team, has been published in two parts, with Part 1, the Spring 2022 issue, having been published in April.

The Summer 2022 General Issue marks the anniversary of the College’s establishment so, as well as the usual diverse range of clinical topics, we have articles reflecting on the College’s achievements, looking forward to developments anticipated over its second year, and considering its importance to members, practitioners and the wider the profession.

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’.

REGISTER FOR FREE HERE

PDJ Summer 2022 anniversary general issue contents

Anniversary articles:

General Issue Part 2 papers:

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College of General Dentistry News

New members elected to College Council

The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) has announced the results of recent elections to its Council, with two new members elected, and five re-elected.

(l-r, top row first) New CGDent Council Members-Elect Subir Banerji and Sagi Shavit, and re-elected Council Members Helen Kaney, Eldo Koshy, Patricia Thomson, Yann Maidment and Sami Stagnell

Subir Banerji FCGDent has been elected to the Central London seat, succeeding Reena Wadia, who served as a member of the National Board of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP) from 2016-21.

Dr Banerji works as a general dental practitioner in the same private dental practice in Ealing which he joined after graduating from Newcastle Dental School in 1987. He is particularly interested in restorative, aesthetic, prosthodontic and implant dentistry, and has over 20 years’ experience of teaching undergraduate and postgraduate dentists both nationally and internationally. Also involved in dental research, he has published articles in numerous international peer-reviewed journals, and is the co-author of books including Practical Procedures in the Management of Tooth Wear and Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry.

He has both an MClinDent (Prosthodontics) and a PhD from King’s College London, where he is the Programme Director of the highly regarded MSc in Aesthetic Dentistry as well as a PhD supervisor. He is an Associate Professor in Prosthodontics at Melbourne Dental School, an advisor to the General Dental Council, on the editorial board of the Academy of Dental Excellence, director of his own postgraduate educational academy, and Head of Continuing Medical Education at i2i Telesolutions Pvt Ltd.

Sagi Shavit MCGDent has been elected to the Yorkshire and Northern seat previously held by Onkar Dhanoya FCGDent – Chair of the College’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Programme Board and its Professional Affairs Committee, and a former Senior Vice Dean of the FGDP – who has stepped down after eight years’ service as an elected representative of the two organisations.

Dr Shavit was born in Israel and was a Captain in the Israel Defense Forces before studying to be a dentist, graduating DMD in Romania in 2009. He soon developed a special interest in endodontics, and after moving to the UK undertook a number of training courses, including microsurgical endodontics, gaining an MSc in Endodontics from the University of Chester in 2015.

Working in a mixed NHS-and-private practice in Darlington, since 2016 he has limited his practice to endodontics, accepting difficult endodontic referrals. He also developed a technique to apply hydraulic cements into perforations and wide canals using his patented Shavit Pellet Former, a push-through mechanism that creates pellets of endodontic cement of predetermined diameters and lengths.

In 2017 he was awarded the MFGDP(UK), and the following year he completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Dental Implantology at the City of London Dental School, where he is now a tutor in endodontics. He is also a visiting lecturer at Tipton Training, runs day courses on endodontics in the North East, and has completed an accredited sedation course and begun providing treatment to anxious patients under intravenous sedation.

Helen Kaney FCGDent, Eldo Koshy FCGDent, Patricia Thomson AssocFCGDent, Yann Maidment MCGDent and Sami Stagnell AssocFCGDent have been re-elected to represent, respectively, the National, Overseas, West & North Scotland, East of Scotland and Wessex & Oxford seats.

Dr Kaney is Head of Dental Services in Scotland for Dental Protection, a dually qualified dentist and solicitor, and Vice-Chair of the College’s Professional Affairs Committee. As well as practising general dentistry for many years, she has worked as a clinical assistant in restorative dentistry, a Senior Dento-Legal Adviser and a solicitor acting for dentists and doctors. A Fellow of both the College of General Dentistry and of the Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians, she holds an MBA and is a founding member of the Dental Law and Ethics Forum.

Dr Koshy is a prosthodontist and implant dentist in Kerala, India. Previously Vice-Principal and Head of the Department of Prosthodontics and Implantology at KMCT Dental College, Kozhikode, he has lectured and delivered training across India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.

Dr Thomson has worked in general dental practice since 1983, 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 FGDP(UK) National Board from 2016-2021, and is currently Chair of the College of General Dentistry’s Regional Funding Panel. She has also served as President of the West of Scotland branch of the BDA, and is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists.

Dr Maidment qualified from Edinburgh in 1984, becoming a partner in his dental practice in the city in 1987, and then associate in 2019. In 2002, he was awarded a DDS for his research comparing the effectiveness of different modes of CPD. He has held research assistant posts at the University of Edinburgh, served on BDA committees for 11 years and lectured on the use of acupuncture in dentistry. He is a past President of the Royal Odonto-Chirurgical Society of Scotland, and has represented the East of Scotland on the FGDP(UK) National Board, and now the College Council, since 2016. He is the College’s Research Lead and a member of its Professional Affairs Committee.

Dr Stagnell graduated in 2009 and is now a specialist oral surgeon, running a referrals practice in Bournemouth supporting both NHS and private patients. In 2015 he was awarded a merit in his MSc in Aesthetic Dentistry at King’s College London, in 2018 he achieved an MSc in Skin Ageing and Aesthetic Medicine at the University of Manchester, and he is completing an MSc in implantology with the University of Madrid. Chair of the College of General Dentistry’s Membership Affairs Committee, he is active in the BDA and Royal Society of Medicine, and was one of Health Education England’s first Clinical Leadership and Management Fellows. He is also an ITI Implant Scholar and a member of the working group which developed the College’s recently-published Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines.

The College is the independent professional body into which the FGDP transferred last year. The UK’s only medical college run by and for oral health professionals, it is unique in welcoming all dental and oral health professionals with relevant postgraduate qualifications into full membership.

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 the seats representing Wales, Northern Ireland, and the South East & South West Thames and North East & North West Thames regions due for election in 2023, and South West England, Trent & East Anglia, Mersey & the North West and the West Midlands due in 2024.

Elected Council members serve three-year terms, and are then able to stand for re-election – subject to a lifetime limit of nine years’ service on the Council, including any past service on the FGDP(UK) National Board. Those elected this year will be inaugurated at the next Council meeting, which takes place in Cardiff on Friday 24 June 2022.

Abhi Pal FCGDent, President of the College, said:

“Many congratulations to Subir and Sagi on their election to the Council, and to Helen, Eldo, Patricia, Yann and Sami on their re-election. I look forward to drawing on their vast and varied experience, knowledge and expertise as the College continues to fulfil its historic mission.

“I would also like to thank Onkar and Reena for their dedication and service to the College and Faculty, and for their collegiality and advice during my Presidency of the College and Deanship of the Faculty.”

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College of General Dentistry News

Updated and expanded research guidance published

An updated and expanded version of the College’s research guidance is now available in print and as an e-book.

The original guidance, An introduction to research for primary dental care clinicians, is a series of nine papers, first published in 2010 in Primary Dental Care, the predecessor publication to the Primary Dental Journal. These introduce readers to the basic principles of research methodology, discuss the relevance of research to primary dental care, and provide an overview of the different stages in a research project, from asking a research question to finally writing up and disseminating the results. This is available on the College website, and is free of charge to all users (non-members will need to register for a free account for the College website if they do not already have one). Members are also able to access the papers in their original format via the PDJ Archive.

The guidance has now been updated with the publication of An Introduction to Clinical Research for Health and Social Care Professionals, which is edited by Ario Santini FCGDent and Professor Kenneth A Eaton FCGDent and includes contributions from Professor Igor Blum FCGDent, Roger Farbey MBE, Mark-Steven Howe FCGDent, Nicola R Palmer, Debbie Reed Assoc.FCGDent, Derek Richards FFGDP(UK)(Hon), Jeanie Suvan and Laura Wiles.

“Absolutely essential reading for those embarking on practice-based research, relevant to all team members, and a key text for undergraduates and postgraduates revising for assessments, where it is now standard to have questions around evidence-based practice and research methodology”

Primary Dental Journal

Expanded to over 300 pages, the new publication is made up of 18 chapters and three appendices:

  • The need for practice-based research
  • Evidence-based practice and critical appraisal of literature
  • Asking a research question and literature searching
  • Designing studies part 1: introduction and quantitative study design
  • Designing studies part 2: randomised controlled trials
  • Designing studies part 3: qualitative study design
  • Designing studies part 4: systematic reviews
  • Designing studies part 5: sampling
  • Designing studies part 6: questionnaires
  • Designing studies part 7: screening and diagnostic testing
  • Designing studies part 8: prognosis, diagnosis, risk and prognostic study methods
  • Writing a protocol
  • Research ethics and obtaining ethics approval
  • Obtaining funding
  • Piloting the methods and project management
  • Collecting and collating data
  • Analysing data
  • Writing up and disseminating the results
  • Guidelines and checklists
  • Glossary of terms with explanatory notes
  • Apprenticeship scheme further details

It is available to purchase in print or as an e-book (ISBN: 978-1-6655-9751-7), and an abridged online version will be made available by the College in due course.

This article was updated in April 2023 following the publication of a review of An Introduction to Clinical Research for Health and Social Care Professionals in the Primary Dental Journal, vol. 12, no. 1. This is available for College members and PDJ subscribers to view in the PDJ Archive.

College of General Dentistry News

Professional Framework for general dental professionals to be launched

The College has announced that it will be launching its much-anticipated Professional Framework next month.

Guests celebrating the launch of the College at Barber-Surgeons’ Hall, where the Professional Framework will be launched next month at the Fellows’ Summer Reception

The Professional Framework will describe the knowledge, skills and other attributes that primary care dentists and other dental professionals may aspire to at different stages of their career, and underpins the College’s Career Pathways programme. An initial framework published last year identifies five domains:

  • Clinical and technical: the capability to diagnose, to advise and to treat
  • Professionalism: the conduct and behaviour to engage patient trust and confidence
  • Reflection: awareness of personal impact, abilities and limitations
  • Development: commitment and capability to improve the service to patients
  • Agency: the ability to resolve solutions independently and through others

The creation of career pathways for general dental practice was a key founding purpose of the College, which has been developing sets of progressive steps for each dental team role in order to provide purpose and direction for dental careers, to enhance professional standing, and to help retain and nurture a motivated workforce.

These are being mapped out by four working groups – representing dentists, dental hygienists & therapists, dental nurses & orthodontic therapists, and dental & clinical dental technicians – working together through a programme board chaired by Professor Avijit Banerjee and a reference group chaired by Dr Shamir Mehta.

The Professional Framework will be launched at the inaugural Fellows’ Summer Reception, which takes place on Wednesday 15 June at Barber-Surgeons’ Hall in London. It will be preceded by the conferral of Fellowships, President’s Commendations and the prestigious College Medal, and will take place in front of around a hundred guests.

Fellows and Associate Fellows of the College, as well as FGDP Fellows who were unable to enjoy formal conferral of their fellowship during 2020-21 due to coronavirus restrictions, are eligible to attend. Tickets are £20, to include wine and canapés, and a small number of spaces remain.

SECURE YOUR PLACE NOW

The College’s Career Pathways programme is generously supported by Colgate.

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College of General Dentistry News

College publishes new national guidelines on implant dentistry mentoring

The College of General Dentistry has published new guidelines on mentoring in implant dentistry.

Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines describes the nature of mentoring which should be undertaken in order to safely carry out implant dentistry following completion of an appropriate training course, including:

  • the experience, skills and qualities expected of a mentor
  • the experience, skills and qualities expected of a mentee
  • the mentoring process
  • the mentoring agreement

Providing practical help to mentors and mentees, it also sets out the component parts of three recommended means of work-based assessment during the mentoring process: Case-Based Discussion, Direct Observation of Procedural Skills and Clinical Evaluation Exercise.

Designed to support educators and students, and to promote patient safety, the new document complements Training Standards in Implant Dentistry. Developed by the former Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and now published by the College, this has defined the accepted standards of training in implant dentistry in the UK since 2005, and includes a requirement to have an experienced clinician acting as a mentor. However, this requirement has not previously been expounded upon, and the publication of Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines seeks to address this.

The College of General Dentistry – intended Royal College – is the independent professional body into which the FGDP transferred upon its separation from the Royal College of Surgeons of England last year. Building on the legacy of the Faculty, it is the UK’s only medical college run by and for oral health professionals, and is unique in welcoming all dental and oral health professionals with relevant postgraduate qualifications into full membership.

The new guidelines are the result of a collaboration between the College and the Association of Dental Implantology, and were developed by a joint working group. Their publication follows consultation with over 30 organisations and individuals with interests and expertise in the field, and they have been endorsed by the Association of British Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the British Association of Oral Surgeons, the Foundation for Oral Rehabilitation, and the UK and Ireland sections of the International Team for Implantology and the Platform for Exchange of Experience, Research and Science.

The document is the College’s first new standards publication since its formal launch last year, and is available to view online free of charge, alongside its COVID-19 guidance and all of the guidance and standards documents of the former FGDP.

College members can also download the publication for personal use, and have access to search, text-select and print functionality. Membership is available from £94 per year for dentists, and from £33 for all other dental professionals.

Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry and Co-Editor of the new guidelines, said:

“The publication of Mentoring in Implant Dentistry befits our mission to empower dental professionals to deliver high standards of care, and I am delighted that the College is building on the legacy of the FGDP in supporting practitioners to develop their clinical skills in this significant and evolving field of practice. The guidelines will act as an important adjunct to Training Standards in Implant Dentistry, and I would like to express my thanks to all those involved in their development.”

Click here to view Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines

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College of General Dentistry News

CPD submission reminder

Colleagues are reminded that Sunday 28 August 2022 is the deadline for all dental professionals other than dentists to submit an annual CPD statement detailing professional development activity undertaken between and 1 August 2021 and 31 July 2022.

Delegates at the CGDent Scotland Study Day, December 2021

The GDC requires dental therapists, dental hygienists, orthodontic therapists and clinical dental technicians to complete a minimum of 75 hours of verifiable CPD every five years, and dental nurses and dental technicians a minimum of 50 hours.

All dental professionals need to complete at least 10 hours of verifiable CPD during any two-year period, and must submit an annual CPD statement whether or not they have undertaken any CPD in the preceding 12 months.

The next submission deadline for dentists is 28 January 2023, covering education undertaken during 2022.

The College offers members access to a wide range of CPD opportunities:

CPD library

Free, on-demand access to a library of around 1000 hours of certified, GDC-compliant CPD. To access the content, log in to www.prodentalcpd.com using the details sent to you following your transfer/entry into College membership.

Live webinars

Live, College-hosted webinars covering a wide range of subjects are available free to members every month, powered by ProDental. Recent subjects include practice ownership, managing traumatic dental injuries, sustainability in dentistry, leadership, professionalism and how to get the best from your career.

Members also have free access to all of ProDental’s weekly live webinars.

And if you miss a live webinar, you’ll find it in the online library within around 24 hours.

Details of all recent and upcoming webinars can be found here

Study Days

Members receive heavily discounted attendance fees for study days and events. The following are currently scheduled:

Details of all recent and upcoming study days and events can be found here

Courses

The courses for the College’s educational qualifications provide significant numbers of CPD hours. The following are currently offered:

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Non-Surgical Facial Aesthetics
  • Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Restorative & Aesthetic Dentistry
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics

Stay up-to-date with news about our webinars, study days and educational programmes by ensuring you are signed up to the College’s monthly newsletter here

Third party resources

The College also recommends the following online resources developed by third parties, each of which offers free CPD:

College of General Dentistry News

College anniversary journal issue free for all dental professionals

The College of General Dentistry is marking its first anniversary by offering all dental professionals and dental students a free print copy of the Primary Dental Journal.

Primary Dental Journal (PDJ) is the College’s quarterly, peer-reviewed member publication.

Featuring clinical articles, editorials and updates from the College, the PDJ is a leading resource for General Dental Practitioners and Dental Care Professionals working in primary care, and has as its Clinical Editor and Editor-in-Chief Igor Blum, Clinical Professor of Primary Dental Care & Advanced General Dental Practice at King’s College London.

Unique in its dedication to general dental practice, its general issues include a range of papers on a variety of topics of interest and relevance to the primary care dental team, and its themed issues explore subjects in depth and are guest edited by a renowned expert in their field.

Recent titles include Leadership and Professionalism, Paediatric Dentistry, Urgent Dental Care and COVID-19 and the Spring 2022 General Issue.

The Summer 2022 General Issue marks the anniversary of the College’s establishment, and to commemorate this milestone, the College is offering dental professionals a free print copy, worth £36.

The offer is available to all dental professionals and dental students, throughout the UK and beyond, including those who have previously received a promotional issue of PDJ through either their membership of one of the College’s partner organisations or their subscription to the College’s free monthly newsletter.

In addition to celebrating progress made in the College’s first full year of operation, articles in the anniversary issue include:

  • Medical Device Regulations and custom-made device documentation: ten frequently asked questions and their answers by James IJ Green DipSci (Den Tech), HNCSci (Den Tech), LBIDST, FOTA, MDTA
  • Occlusion on a single implant-supported crown: any differences? by Ziad Al-Ani BDS MSc PhD MFDS RCS (Ed) FHEA and Hassan Maghaireh BDS, MSc Dental implants (Manchester)
  • Health and wellbeing of clinical dental care professionals: a systematic review by Layan Kaki MSc, BSc; Sukriti KC MPH, BSc(Hons) Psych, RDN; and Jennifer E. Gallagher MBE, PhD, MSc, BDS, DDPH, DTMM, FDS RCSEng, FHEA
  • A large lipoma of the tongue: a case report by Adam Shathur BDS(Hons) MFDS PGCertMedEd(Merit); Arif Rashid MBBS BDS(Hons) MJDF MRCS (Eng); Vishal Patel BDS MJDF; Lorrette Ffolkes MRCP FRCPath DipRCPath; and Rahul Jayaram MBBS BDS(Hons) MFDSRCS MDS(OMFS) FRCS(OMFS)
  • A modified Newton classification for denture stomatitis by Karin Hermana Neppelenbroek DDS, MSc, PhD; Andréa Lemos Falcão Procópio DDS, MSc, PhD; Anna Clara Gurgel Gomes DDS, MSc; Carolina Yoshi Campos Sugio DDS, MSc; Amanda Aparecida Maia Neves Garcia DDS; Vinicius Carvalho Porto DDS, MSc, PhD; and Vanessa Migliorini Urban DDS, MSc, PhD
  • Moving from analogue to digital workflows in dentistry: understanding undermilling and overmilling as detrimental factors in fabricating CAD/CAM crowns by Ilser Turkyilmaz DMD, PhD; Gregory Neil Wilkins MBA; and Sarah Yun
  • Dentistry where there is no dentist: a retrospective analysis of urgent dental care reported through the British Antarctic Survey Medical Unit (BASMU), 2015–2020 by Ewen McColl BSc (Hons), BDS, MFDS, FDS RCPS, MCGDent, MRD RCS Ed, MClinDent, FDS RCS (Rest Dent), FHEA, FDTF (Ed); Rob Witton MPH, BDS, DPDS, MFDSRCS (Eng), FDS (DPH), RCS (Eng), MCGDent, CertPerio, FDTF (Ed), FHEA; Tanya Lommerse BDS, MFDS RCS Ed; and Matt Warner BSc (Hons) MB BS FRCEM Dip IMC Dip RTM
  • Book review: A practical approach to operative dentistry (Gordon B Gray and Alaa H Daud) by R Graham Chadwick BDS, PhD, FDSRCPS, FDS (Rest Dent) RCPS, FHEA 

Those wishing to receive a free print copy will need to sign up by Sunday 29 May 2022.

Following the free Summer 2022 General Issue, forthcoming issues for 2022/23 include Oral Surgery, Digital Dentistry, the Spring 2023 General Issue, Aesthetic Dentistry and Dental Trauma, and those wishing to receive these can either subscribe to the PDJ or join the College.

Membership of the College is available from £94 for dentists and £33 for all other registered dental professionals, and includes a print subscription to the PDJ, online access to the PDJ Archive of over 1,300 articles, and a range of other benefits.

Click here for further information on the benefits of joining the College of General Dentistry.

Click here for information on subscribing to the Primary Dental Journal.

Non-members of the College can also keep up to date with its news, events, guidance and offers by subscribing to its free monthly newsletter.

In the run up to its anniversary, the College has also released a short film setting out its vision and purposes, Your College: Empowering Dental Professionals.

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