College of General Dentistry News

Dental and medical organisations join forces to say “Antibiotics do not cure toothache!”

National dental and medical organisations have come together again to support the World Health Organisation’s Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which runs from 18-24 November.

The Association of Clinical Oral Microbiologists and College of General Dentistry, supported by the Association of Dental Hospitals, British Dental Association, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, British Association of Oral Surgery, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, British & Irish Society for Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, are reminding patients that “antibiotics do not cure toothache”, and encouraging the dental team to adhere to best practice and only prescribe antibiotics as an adjunct to definitive clinical management of the cause when indicated according to national guidelines.1-2

Prudent prescribing of antimicrobials can slow down the development of antimicrobial resistance, and all healthcare prescribers play a vital role. The dental profession has shown its commitment to addressing antimicrobial resistance by significantly reducing the use of antibiotics over the last decade, both in dental practice and a hospital setting. Dental hospitals in the UK and Ireland reduced antibiotic prescriptions by 22% and 30% for therapeutic and prophylactic indications respectively between 2018 and 2020 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic).

It has been reported that COVID-19 had a negative effect on the profession’s endeavours in improving antibiotic prescribing patterns. The organisations therefore encourage dental teams in both general practice and hospital settings to re-start auditing3 their practice of antibiotic prescribing against the recently updated national guidelines1-2, as this will help to reduce the use of antimicrobials and improve patient outcomes.

The successful management of acute dental infections requires accurate diagnosis and definitive treatment, and patients who have prompt access to emergency dental services have a much-reduced risk of developing life-threatening sepsis. Dental teams are encouraged to use the following resources to update their knowledge on the latest national recommendations on the use of antimicrobial agents in dentistry, and to audit their practice:

  1. Guidelines for antimicrobial prescribing in dentistry are available at https://cgdent.uk/standards-guidance/ and https://bnf.nice.org.uk
  2. Guidance for antimicrobials in dentistry in Scotland are available at  https://www.sdcep.org.uk/published-guidance/drug-prescribing/ and  https://www.sapg.scot/media/5473/statement-on-pen-v-in-dental-infections.pdf
  3. Antimicrobial prescribing audit tools are available at https://cgdent.uk/standards-guidance/ and https://heiw.nhs.wales/education-and-training/dental/quality-improvement/national-audit-projects/antimicrobial-prescribing/
  4. Other resources, including the Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit, are available via https://cgdent.uk/standards-guidance/ and https://bda.org/amr

In a recent blog for the College of General Dentistry, Dr Wendy Thompson, the College’s lead on Antimicrobial Resistance, says it’s time to reduce antibiotic prescribing in dentistry to pre-pandemic levels.

Wendy is also the guest speaker on our upcoming ‘Talking Standards’ webinar on Thursday 25 November, which will be looking at Antimicrobial Prescribing in Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines. The event will be free to view live for all members of the dental professions, and CGDent members and ProDentalCPD subscribers can claim CPD hours for free and have access to the recording after the event. REGISTER HERE.

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College of General Dentistry News

Help get people talking about sugar reduction

The College of General Dentistry is proud to be supporting Sugar Awareness Week, which aims to raise public awareness of the poor health outcomes associated with excess sugar consumption, get people talking about the importance of sugar reduction, and to encourage citizens, industry and government to support healthier food and drink.

The annual campaign is organised by Action on Sugar, a charity based at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health at Queen Mary University of London, which works to promote a consensus for action to be taken to counter the harmful effects of a high sugar diet. Our support continues that previously given by the Faculty of General Dental Practice, and the two organisations were among those who successfully campaigned for a ‘sugar tax’ on soft drinks, which since its introduction in 2016 has seen a 29% reduction in the sugar content of drinks subject to the tax and a shift in purchasing towards lower sugar alternatives.

This year’s Sugar Awareness Week focusses on the high sugar content frequently seen in snack foods marketed as healthy, and also calls for the removal of misleading sugar claims on sweet baby and toddler snacks such as biscuits and rusks. We would encourage dental practices to display this year’s poster in their waiting area, to download and use the tailored images on their social media accounts, and to join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtags #SugarAwarenessWeek and #SnackingOnSugar.

The College’s work to support a reduction in sugar consumption is led by Dr Roshni Karia MCGDent, an associate dentist working in general dental practice in Surrey, and Vice President of the College, who represents CGDent on Public Health England’s Children’s Oral Health Improvement Programme Board. As a dental organisation, the College works with Action on Sugar to highlight the association between sugar consumption and poor oral health, and in supporting Sugar Awareness Week, Roshni commented:

“In the UK we consume three times the recommended maximum amount of sugar. Tooth decay is almost wholly preventable, but affects a quarter of 5-year-olds and a third of 12-year-olds, and tooth extraction is the number one reason young children are admitted to hospital. Reducing sugar intake lowers our risk not only of tooth decay, but of a wide range of illnesses including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke – and indirectly some cancers. Through education and regulatory action, consumers of all ages need to be empowered to make the healthy choices the easier ones.”

The Sugar Awareness Week 2021 resources can be downloaded below:

Sugar Awareness Week 2021 Poster

Sugar Awareness Week 2021 Instagram image

Sugar Awareness Week 2021 Twitter image

Other posters, factsheets and educational materials from Action on Sugar are available at http://www.actiononsugar.org/sugar-awareness-week/sugar-awareness-week-2021/resources/

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College of General Dentistry News

New PDJ online now: Urgent dental care and COVID-19

The latest issue of the Primary Dental Journal, Urgent dental care and COVID-19, is now online. In it, we reflect on dentistry’s response to a global healthcare challenge, with articles from colleagues around the world.

The following articles are free to view for all dental professionals by visiting https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/prda/current:

  • Urgent dental care and oral health under the clouds of COVID-19 (Igor R Blum) (Editorial)
  • Urgent dental care and COVID-19 (Wendy Thompson) (Guest Editorial)
  • COVID-19 lockdown and recovery: a dental public health perspective from Lancashire and South Cumbria (Ross Keat)
  • COVID-19 Pandemic: The Urgent Dental Hub experience from a primary care perspective (Zohaib Khwaja, Awais Ali, Manraj Rai)


Members of the College of General Dentistry can unlock all articles by visiting https://cgdent.uk/primary-dental-journal-member-only. You will need to be logged in to the CGDent website.

Member-only content includes:

  • President’s update (Abhi Pal)
  • College news & events
  • Research abstracts: Urgent dental care and COVID-19 (Ario Santini)
  • Dentists deployed: an insider’s perspective of life on the NHS front line (Harriet E Powell)
  • Provision of dental care by public health dental clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada (Heidi Rabie, Rafael Figueiredo)
  • Understanding behaviour change to promote regular dental attendance (Jessica Holloway)
  • Dental Emergencies: Perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of dental teams in the UK (Fiona Ellwood)
  • Delivering urgent oral healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa: supporting sustainable local development (Rachael England, Andrew Paterson, Adam Jones)
  • Primary care research: views of a dental team on their experiences of a primary care study (Reem Al-Nashi Elia, Javed Ikram, Tim Clayton, Victor Chow, Emily Aldred, Kim Pilotille, Nichola Stones, Zhain Mustufvi)


CGDent members and PDJ subscribers should expect their printed copies to arrive in the next 2-3 weeks.

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College of General Dentistry News

Survey on medical emergencies in primary dental care

Researchers at Newcastle University are studying the prevalence of medical emergency events in primary dental care, and the confidence of the dental team in managing them.

The project is part of an NHS Health Education England North East research programme, and CGDent members are asked to support the research by giving a few minutes of their time to complete a short online questionnaire:

https://newcastle.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/medicalemergencies

Participants should be a dentist, dental hygienist or dental therapist based in general dental practice, specialist practice or community dental services, and can enter a prize draw on completion to win a £50 Amazon voucher.

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College of General Dentistry News

New GDC Chair joins CGDent in celebrating launch

The new Chair of the General Dental Council (GDC) will make his first public address to the profession this week at an event celebrating the launch of the College of General Dentistry.

Lord Toby Harris, new GDC Chair

Lord Toby Harris, Baron Harris of Haringey, was appointed GDC Chair in July and took up office on 1 October, succeeding Dr William Moyes.

During his period of preparation for office, the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) completed its long-planned separation from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, transferring into the new College of General Dentistry (CGDent).

Lord Harris will be the keynote speaker on Thursday evening (21st October) at a reception marking the birth of CGDent, the formation of which has realised the ultimate ambition of the FGDP’s founding members to establish an independent college for general dental practice.

The College assumed the Faculty’s remit on 1 August, and as well as publishing its guidance and standards, has already launched two postgraduate qualifications, offers membership benefits which promote and reward professional development, and has announced that it is developing a professional framework and career pathways for the whole dental team.

Speaking ahead of the event, Lord Harris said:

“The creation of a dedicated College – for the whole dental team – is a significant moment and I am really pleased to join in celebrating this. The College of General Dentistry is an important partner for the GDC in supporting our role assuring education standards and ensuring patient safety and confidence in the professions.”

His keynote speech on Thursday, following an address by CGDent President Abhi Pal, will be broadcast live online from 6.45pm at:

https://vimeo.com/event/1396485/embed/019a40fc84

No prior registration is required.

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College of General Dentistry News

Notice to members and subscribers in European Union countries

Print issues of the Primary Dental Journal (PDJ) being sent to members subscribers in European Union (EU) countries are now subject to import VAT at the domestic rate of the country in which you are located.

This is a result of recent EU legislation on cross-border e-commerce, which has removed the import VAT exemption threshold and changed the point of taxation from the supplier to the location of the consumer receiving the goods.

Our publisher, SAGE, will now be transporting your print issues of the PDJ into the EU and clearing them through customs.

CGDent will pay any VAT due, and no charge will be made to members/subscribers.

However, short term disruption is a possibility as postal services and customs authorities are reported to have had difficulty in understanding and applying the new rules.

If you receive a payment notice to release your copy of PDJ from your local postal service, do not pay it – instead, please contact [email protected] for resolution/resupply.

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Avijit Banerjee and Shamir Mehta to lead CGDent career pathways programme

Professor Avijit Banerjee and Dr Shamir Mehta have been appointed to key positions leading the College of General Dentistry’s career pathways programme.


Professor Avijit Banerjee (l), Chair of the CGDent Career Pathways Programme Board, and Dr Shamir Mehta (r), Chair of the CGDent Career Pathways Reference Group

Professor Banerjee is Professor of Cariology & Operative Dentistry and Clinical Lead in Restorative Dentistry at King’s College London, and has been appointed Chair of the Career Pathways Programme Board, which also includes the College’s Vice President, Roshni Karia, and CEO Simon Thornton-Wood.

Dr Mehta is a partner in two dental practices in Harrow, Senior Clinical Teacher at King’s College London and Senior Clinical Advisor to the General Dental Council, and has been appointed Chair of the Career Pathways Reference Group, which provides advice and guidance and also includes Andrew Dickinson, Sharon Hill, Andrea Johnson, Kirstie Moons, Fiona Sandom and Bill Sharpling.

The career pathways programme, which is supported by Colgate, is building structures to provide purpose and direction for careers across the oral health team, to enhance professional standing, and to help retain and nurture a motivated workforce in dentistry.

Career pathways with clear progressive steps are being mapped for each dental team role, underpinned by a professional framework which describes the breadth of capabilities of practitioners at each stage of their career.

These are being developed, together with the programme board and reference group, by four working groups reflecting the key roles in general dentistry:

Dentist Group

  • Phil Dawson (Chair)
  • Sefa Ahiaku
  • Bilal Arshad
  • Ian Dunn
  • James Hamilton
  • Nyree Whitley

Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy Group

  • Emma Pacey (Chair)
  • Leon Bassi
  • Liam Ferguson
  • Shaun Howe
  • Sarah Murray
  • Kath Reynolds
  • Frances Robinson
  • Miranda Steeples
  • Kirstie Thwaites

Dental Nursing and Orthodontic Therapy Group

  • Debbie Reed (Chair)
  • Ken Binnah
  • Jane Dalgarno
  • Amanda Knight
  • Sharon Morrow
  • Marie Parker
  • Tracey Rodgers
  • Tracey Taylor
  • Tracey Young

Dental Technology and Clinical Dental Technology Group

  • Michael Brindle (Co-Chair)
  • Darren Ware (Co-Chair)
  • Stephan Avetoom
  • Mark Gilbert
  • Mark Maley
  • Steven Martin
  • James Neilson
  • Caroline Persaud
  • Stephen Wears

Further announcements are expected in the first half of 2022, and more information about the programme is available at: https://cgdent.uk/career-pathways/.

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College of General Dentistry News

Survey of CGDent members on the prescription, manufacture and fitting of flexible dentures

A study supported by the University of Kent is looking at the prescription, manufacture and fitting of flexible dentures by dentists and clinical dental technicians who practise in the UK and are members of the College of General Dentistry.

We encourage College members to support this research, which is led by Ali Al Bayati AssocFCGDent, by sparing a few minutes of their time to complete this short survey.

College of General Dentistry News

College of General Dentistry launches facial aesthetics qualification

The College of General Dentistry (CGDent), the UK’s only professional body dedicated to primary dental care, has formally launched its Postgraduate Certificate in Non-Surgical Facial Aesthetics.

Serving those who are considering entering this growing area of practice but have little or no prior experience, the course is designed to be flexible to suit the needs of those working in general dental practice, while equipping them with the theoretical understanding and practical skills they need to offer cosmetic injectables to their patients.

The college is represented on the Education and Training Committee of the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP), the body which sets standards for cosmetic practice and maintains registers of appropriately trained cosmetic practitioners, and CGDent’s comprehensive programme has been carefully designed to align with the JCCP’s competency framework, with a syllabus covering:

  • Facial anatomy, morphology, physiology and the principles behind the use of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers
  • Assessment and treatment planning for non-surgical aesthetic interventions
  • Administration of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers and the management of complications

Participants can enrol at any time and may take between 6 months and 2 years to complete the programme, which combines online learning with face-to-face teaching and practice available in four locations. The modules include observation and performance of at least 40 cases, all of which are provided and 20 of which are mentored on a 1:1 basis, with participants given a choice of dates and clinical sites.

The programme is delivered by RASA Academy and led by Dr Jalpesh Patel, a dental practitioner, advanced facial aesthetic practitioner and member of the JCCP’s Practitioner Register Committee. Dr Patel holds a Master’s in Aesthetic Dentistry from King’s College London, in which he graduated with distinction, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Skin Ageing and Aesthetic Medicine from the University of Manchester.

Dr Patel recently delivered a series of online seminars for the College of General Dentistry, entitled Introduction to Non-Surgical Facial Aesthetics, Facial Aesthetics: Clinical Cases and Applied Anatomy, and Non-Surgical Facial Aesthetics: Complications. All three are available to watch on ProDental CPD via the above links.

He has also posted a blog about his journey into facial aesthetics, and how his own experience of the available training options inspired him to develop the new programme with CGDent.

The launch of the new Level 7 qualification builds on the heritage of the Faculty of General Dental Practice, which ran a Masterclass in Facial Aesthetics programme from 2009-16.

Dental professionals interested in applying should visit https://cgdent.uk/our-dentistry-qualifications.

Members of the College of General Dentistry, and subscribers to ProDental CPD, have free access to the recordings of the webinars listed above – and all other live and recorded ProDental and CGDent-ProDental events – and can also claim free CPD certificates. A £20 fee will apply per webinar for non-members/non-subscribers who wish to access the recordings. 

To receive information on upcoming CGDent webinars and events, sign up to the CGDent newsletter.

College of General Dentistry News

College endorses updated prevention guidance

The College of General Dentistry has endorsed the newly-published fourth edition of Delivering Better Oral Health: an evidence based toolkit for prevention.

With chapters covering behaviour change, dental caries, periodontal diseases, oral cancer, tooth wear, oral hygiene, fluoride, healthier eating, alcohol, smoking and tobacco use, the revised document gives dental teams access to the best evidence of what works for oral health improvement, all in one place, to help them provide high quality preventative care and advice to patients.

The summary guidance tables remain an invaluable resource for general dental professionals, and new content has been added on infant feeding and early detection of oral cancer, further detail given on tobacco cessation and alcohol reduction, and a new table included which focusses on accelerated tooth wear.

The fourth edition also offers case studies in supporting behaviour change, as well as greater consideration of the oral health of older people and other vulnerable groups, and a new digital format provides better accessibility on mobile devices.

Issued jointly by Public Health England and the Departments of Health in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is the result of a comprehensive review of published evidence on prevention involving over 100 experts, among them frontline dental teams and patient representatives.

Ian Mills FCGDent, College Ambassador and past Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice, was among those overseeing its development, and Yann Maidment MCGDent, Council Member and College Research Lead, is on the Delivering Better Oral Health Implementation Group.

The document is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention