College of General Dentistry News

Poppy Dunton appointed Hygiene & Therapy Faculty Chair

The College has appointed Poppy Dunton as Chair of the Board of its Faculty of Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy.

A dental therapist working in general dental practice and implant clinics in Harrogate, York and Durham, Poppy is also a Tutor and Clinical Supervisor in Dental Hygiene at Teesside University, and as a dental business consultant helps ailing squat practices to improve their periodontal care. She was previously Operations Manager, CQC Manager and Lead Dental Therapist at a private dental practice group in Northampton. Having first worked in dentistry on a work placement as a 15-year-old, she has also been a receptionist, compliance and treatment coordinator and dental nurse.

She completed the National Certificate in Dental Nursing in 2008 and graduated from Cardiff University with a Diploma of Higher Education in Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene, where she was awarded the Johnson and Johnson Clinical Excellence Prize, in 2011. She also holds a City & Guilds Diploma in Leadership and Management, a Level 6 qualification in employment law from the Institute of Paralegals, the Perio School Diploma in Periodontics for Hygienists and Therapists and the Smile Dental Academy Diploma in Restorative and Aesthetic Dentistry for Dental Therapists, and has completed training as a Menopause Coach in order to help improve the care provided to her patients. 

She joined the College as an Associate Member in 2022, enrolled on the Certified Membership Scheme, was appointed to the Board of the Faculty of Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy and was a facilitator at the College’s NextGen Leadership Workshop in 2023. She is also a member of the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy, the British Association of Dental Therapists, the Association of Dental Implantology and the British Society of Periodontology and Implant Dentistry.

The Faculty of Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy is a constituency automatically comprising all members of the College who are dental hygienists and/or dental therapists, and the Faculty Board advances the interests of these professional groups within the College. The board also includes Sarah Murray MBE, Fiona Sandom FCGDent MBE and Jyoti Sumel.

The Chair is appointed for a three-year term, and Ms Dunton succeeds Frances Robinson AssocFCGDent in the role. She will advise and report to the College Council, and will work closely with the President and the other Faculty Board Chairs – Avijit Banerjee FCGDent (Faculty of Dentists), Debbie Reed FCGDent (Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy), and Bill Sharpling FCGDent (Faculty of Clinical Dental Technology & Dental Technology) – in realising College priorities for the whole dental team.

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College of General Dentistry News

New opportunity in coaching & mentoring for Dental Care Professionals

Foundation Nakao – CGDent Award in Coaching and Mentoring

A special opportunity for a funded three day short course: strictly limited places available

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.

Now, thanks to sponsorship by Foundation Nakao, generously donated through Prof Avijit Banerjee FCGDent, we can offer a very special opportunity for a three day training course in mentoring and coaching.

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 21st November 2025
  • Day 2. Saturday 22nd November 2025
  • Day 3 Friday 16th January 2026 (or Friday 23rd January)

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].

Foundation Nakao – CGDent Award application v1.3Download

The deadline for applications is 5pm Monday 22nd September 2025.

Successful applicants will be informed by email by Monday 6th October 2025.

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.

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College of General Dentistry News

Introduction to Occlusion Symposium travels to Edinburgh

Following the success of the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium on 5 April in London, the symposium is travelling north and will take place on Saturday 1 November in Edinburgh.

Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, London

The comprehensive programme will remain the same and will be delivered by the panel of six renowned speakers who impressed delegates at the inaugural symposium in April. It is designed for early career dental professionals but all dental professionals are welcome to attend.

Members of the College are asked to share details of the symposium with friends and colleagues who may wish to attend.

book your place

The aim of the event, which has been organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation in conjunction with the College, is to enhance delegates’ understanding of the fundamentals of occlusion and how these principles can support the placement of successful, long-term restorations for patients presenting with tooth wear and other conditions.

Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, Chair of Trustees, Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, explains the move to Scotland:

“We were delighted by the enthusiastic feedback we received from the London symposium which showed that many delegates had left the day with a much clearer understanding of occlusion and the treatment options available, and felt inspired to incorporate what they’d learnt into their practice. We wanted to ensure that colleagues in other parts of the country had the same opportunity to expand their knowledge of this important topic and the decision was made to repeat the symposium in Edinburgh with exactly the same programme and the same inspiring speakers.”

The opening lecture will be delivered by Dr Bereznicki, who will use real failure cases to illustrate what can happen if a patient’s occlusion is not assessed and treated.

Further lectures will then be delivered by Professor Paul Tipton, Dr Ken Harris, Dr Tif Qureshi, Dr Shiraz Khan and Dr Koray Feran.

Dr Tom Bereznicki
Prof Paul Tipton
Dr Ken Harris
Dr Tif Qureshi
Dr Shiraz Khan
Dr Koray Feran

Describing the programme, Dr Bereznicki said: “We will be focussing on the basic fundamental principles involved in occlusion, particularly the intraoral occlusal examination which is crucial in treatment planning.”

Alongside the programme of lectures, delegates who wish to develop their knowledge of occlusion further can visit a hand-picked selection of education stands to learn more about leading postgraduate courses available in this field.

To ensure the symposium is accessible to all, the fees have been set at £90 for early career practitioners who qualified between 2020 and 2025, and £110 for all other dental professionals. These fees include lunch.

You can find further information and secure your place by clicking the button below.

book your place

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, in collaboration with the College, is also hosting a symposium on 20 September 2025 in London. Dr Reena Wadia will deliver the morning session on the topic of pink aesthetics and in the afternoon, Dr Andy Toy will discuss the importance of occlusion in the successful provision of aligner therapy. You can find out more and book your place here.

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College of General Dentistry News

Standards in Dentistry: new edition

The College has published the third edition of Standards in Dentistry, its comprehensive and free online manual bringing together standards and guidelines for primary care dentistry.

A compendium acting as a guide to personal or practice-based quality assessment, it sets out specific basic and aspirational standards covering 17 areas of practice.

Fifteen of these have been fully updated from the second edition to reflect changes to the evidence base and other contemporary contexts:

  • Consultation and diagnosis
  • Making and receiving referrals
  • Direct (plastic), coronal and root surface restorations
  • Indirect coronal restorations (crowns, bridges, onlays, veneers)
  • Endodontics
  • Implant dentistry
  • Management of acute pain
  • Management of dental trauma
  • Minor oral surgery
  • Oral medicine
  • Orthodontics
  • Paediatric dentistry
  • Periodontics
  • Complete dentures
  • Removable partial dentures

Two new sets of standards have also been added:

  • Aesthetic dentistry
  • Digital dentistry 

The standards are focussed on practitioner processes rather than treatment outcomes, and the book adopts the College’s ‘Aspirational’, ‘Basic’, ‘Conditional’ (ABC) notation for the grading of recommendations.

Standards in Dentistry also summarises over 100 standards, guidelines and advisory publications by the College and 50 other national and international bodies, and signposts to other relevant resources, organisations and legislation.

In addition to synopses of guidance covering the areas of practice listed above, summaries of 18 clinical and non-clinical fields from the second edition have been updated:

  • Clinical governance
  • Emergency dental care
  • Examination and record-keeping
  • Infection control
  • Medical emergencies
  • Medications management
  • Oral health
  • Pathology
  • Patient information
  • Practice management
  • Prevention
  • Radiography
  • Research governance
  • Restorative dentistry
  • Risk management & communication
  • Sedation
  • Special care dentistry
  • Staff training

Four brand new summaries have also been added, covering:

  • Antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Mental health and wellbeing

The first edition of Standards in Dentistry, published by the former Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) in 2006, combined the functions of two previous FGDP publications, Self-Assessment Manual and Standards (SAMS) and Guidelines for Structure and Process in Dental Practice. The second edition was published in 2018, with the College making it available to the profession since it inherited the Faculty’s portfolio of guidance and standards publications in 2021.

The newly expanded third edition has been two years in the making, with over 1,000 comments received and considered during consultation processes with College Fellows and a wide range of national dental organisations. It is the College’s first comprehensive update of a flagship FGDP publication, and the first standards document to employ the College’s new branding following the recent grant of a Coat of Arms.

It was developed by an editorial team led by Professor Ewen McColl FCGDent (Head of Peninsula Dental School, Chair of the Dental Schools Council, Editorial Director of Dental Update and College Council member), which also included Professor Chris Tredwin FCGDent (Dean of Queen Mary University of London Dental School), Professor Robert Witton FCGDent (Professor of Community Dentistry, Peninsula Dental School), Lorna Burns (Information Specialist and Associate Head of Postgraduate Taught Programmes, Peninsula Dental School), Dr Nicola Gore FCGDent (general dental practice principal and College Council member) and Dr Susan Nelson MCGDent (general dental practitioner, implant dentist and College Council member).

For the benefit of the whole dental profession and all dental patients, the College has made Standards in Dentistry available to view free of charge.

College members can also download it to their devices as a PDF for personal use, giving access to search, text-select and print functionality.

Celebrating the publication of the new edition, Dr Roshni Karia MCGDent, President of the College, said:

“The provision of guidance and standards by dental professionals, for dental professionals, is central to the mission of the College, and Standards in Dentistry is an indispensable reference guide offering a comprehensive pool of information for all those working in general dental practice and primary dental care. Generations of oral healthcare professionals across the world have been supported by this and other publications of the former FGDP in their journey to provide effective clinical care and better outcomes for their patients, and the College will continue to provide this assistance for future generations. On behalf of the College, I would like to thank all the authors for their hard work, and the many College members and external consultees who gave their time to provide feedback and suggestions.”

All dental professionals and practices are encouraged to view Standards in Dentistry by visiting our Standards and Guidance page, where free access is also offered to the following publications:

  • Clinical Examination and Record-Keeping
  • Selection Criteria for Dental Radiography
  • Guidance Notes for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-Ray Equipment
  • Antimicrobial Prescribing in Dentistry
  • Training Standards in Implant Dentistry
  • Mentoring in Implant Dentistry
  • Dementia-Friendly Dentistry
  • An Introduction to Research for Primary Dental Care Clinicians
  • Implications of COVID-19 for the safe management of general dental practice

Users who are not members of the College will need to be logged into their College Subscriber account; new users can register for free at cgdent.uk/register-new

new users – register here
members & subscribers: log in to view standards in dentistry

Print copies will be available for sale in due course.

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College of General Dentistry News

College to host Leadership Development Masterclass

The College will soon be hosting a Leadership Development Masterclass for dental professionals.

Professor Sreenivas Koka FCGDent (l) and Professor Elizabeth Carr FCGDent (r), co-presenters of the CGDent Leadership Development Masterclass

The masterclass will teach some of the most critical elements needed to be an effective team leader, with carefully curated content offering appropriate breadth and depth for early-career leaders, including:

  • Giving and receiving feedback as a leader
  • Learning one’s motivations for leadership (and adapting accordingly)
  • Measuring your leadership effectiveness

The one-day programme, which will take place at the Royal Society of Medicine in London from 10am to 4pm on Tuesday 14 October 2025, will be led by Professor Sreenivas Koka DDS MS PhD MBA MAS FACD FCGDent and Professor Elizabeth Carr MAADH DHA FACD(Hon) FCGDent.

Professor Koka is co-founder of Executive Leadership Enterprises and the Future Leaders in Prosthodontics (FLiP) programme, and founder of both the Shaping the Future of Implant Dentistry (SHIFT) leadership workshop series and the non-profit Career Design in Dentistry organisation. He is also a former Chair of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management Alumni Board. Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry from 2021-2024, he has been a lecturer at the University of Michigan and University of California Los Angeles, and a professor at Loma Linda University, the University of Nebraska and the Mayo Clinic. In addition to qualifying as a Doctor of Dental Surgery, he holds a Master’s in Prosthodontics from the University of Michigan, an MBA from MIT, a Master’s in Applied Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD from the University of Nebraska. He was the founder and owner of Premium Dental Editing in Rochester, Minnesota, and of Koka Dental Clinic in San Diego, and is the author/co-author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and nine book chapters. A Fellow of CGDent, he was brought up in Romford, emigrated to the United States at the age of 19 and is one of 16 dentists in his family.

Professor Koka is also the guest editor of the next issue of the Primary Dental Journal (PDJ), which will be published later this year on the theme of leadership, and co-author of its papers on ‘Everyday leadership’ and ‘Oral health in the context of patient well-being: Implications for the general dentist’.

Professor Carr is Chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene, Professor of Dental Hygiene and Director of the Mississippi Population Oral Health Collaborative at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry, where she has worked for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene and a Doctorate in Health Administration from the University of Mississippi and a Master’s in Dental Hygiene from the University of Tennessee. She has also completed the MIT Sloan School of Management’s Executive Certificate programme in Leadership and Management. A Fellow of the CGDent, she is also an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Dentists, a past President of the Mississippi Dental Hygienists’ Association, and a member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Academy of Dental Hygiene. Her peer-reviewed articles on leadership and dental education have been published in the Journal of the American College of Dentists, the Journal of International Oral Health, the Journal of Prosthodontic Research, the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, the Journal of Dental Hygiene and the Journal of Dental Education.

Professor Carr is also the author of ‘Effectively managing difficult conversations with patients and dental teams’ and co-author of ‘Everyday leadership’ in the upcoming leadership-themed issue of the PDJ.

The Leadership Development Masterclass, which is restricted to just 25 places, costs only £170 to attend and comes with 4.75 hours of CPD verified for GDC Development Outcome B. Attendees will need to be a Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College at the time of booking – information on joining and eligibility is available here

Simon Thornton-Wood PhD, Chief Executive of the College, said:

“To practise dentistry requires years of education, yet people can take on leadership roles with little or no training at all. First-time and second-time dental leaders are challenged because other people’s actions now define them; the potential to fail in a leadership role is high and the consequences can be significant.

“That’s why leadership in dentistry is such a focus for the College. It was the theme of our very first journal issue in 2021, we’re re-visiting it in the next issue, it is one of our five domains of Fellowship and we have a recorded webinar on the subject available free of charge for all our members. It is also the topic of a blog post by our Immediate Past President, under whose Presidency we hosted a Leadership Workshop for early career dental professionals.

“Leadership can be taught and learned, so we are delighted to be able to host this masterclass, and privileged that it will delivered by two College Fellows who are world-leading scholars in the art and science of practising leadership in the context of oral healthcare delivery.”

For further information, and to book your place at the Leadership Development Masterclass, click the button below.

FIND OUT MORE AND BOOK YOUR PLACE

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College of General Dentistry News

In memory of Kevin Lewis, 1949-2025

We regret to report the passing of Kevin James Lewis FCGDent, former Trustee, Ambassador and Founder of the College.

Born in Hounslow, Middlesex, in May 1949, he qualified BDS from The London Hospital in 1971 and LDS in 1972, worked full-time as a general dental practitioner and practice owner for 20 years, then part-time for another ten years while he developed his interests in the dento-legal field.

In 1989 he began a 27-year career at Dental Protection, initially as a member of the Board of Directors, then as a dento-legal adviser, and as Dental Director between 1998 and 2016, serving on the Council and Executive of the Medical Protection Society.

In the 1980s and 1990s he was involved in broadcasting, being the monthly dental contributor on a BBC Radio 2 programme and a regular contributor on both BBC and commercial local radio in the East Midlands and East of England. He also gave a number of TV interviews, participated in dentistry-related documentaries and was the host of The Dental Channel.

Better known to many now for his writing, he was a long-serving Associate Editor of Dental Practice, Consultant Editor of Dentistry from 2006 and a contributing author to The Technologist since 2018, providing the profession with contemporary, insightful political commentaries, editorials and dento-legal articles for over forty years. He also wrote two textbooks on dental practice management and guest chapters in several others.

He enjoyed some part-time teaching and supervision of undergraduate students, and lectured throughout the UK and internationally, presenting at seven FDI World Dental Congresses as well as regional or national conferences in almost 30 countries, including regular lectures in Australia, New Zealand, North America and South East Asia.

In the early part of his career, he was heavily involved in the British Dental Association up to Branch Council level and in Local Dental Committee matters, and for some years was a Vice President of the British Association of Dental Therapists. He was a Trustee of the Oral & Dental Research Trust and a past Trustee of the Cordent Dental Trust, a Special Consultant to BDA Indemnity and he provided consultancy and advisory services to a variety of organisations in dentistry and wider healthcare.

In 2017, following the decision of the national board of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP) to build an independent college for general dental practitioners and the whole dental team, he was appointed a founder member of the Transition Board tasked with creating what became the College of General Dentistry. He subsequently served as a Trustee of the College until 2022, then as a College Ambassador. He was a College Fellow, College Founder and College Donor, presented College webinars on dento-legal topics, and wrote for the Primary Dental Journal.

He was also a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, achieved the Diploma of Fellowship of the former FGDP, and was awarded Honorary Membership of the British, Irish and New Zealand Dental Associations. He was an Honorary Member, and past Council Member, of the British Society for Restorative Dentistry.

Last month he was awarded the College Medal, the College of General Dentistry’s most prestigious honour, in recognition of his consistent championing of general dental practice during a career spanning over half a century, and for his contributions to the establishment and development of the College from its formative stages.

He passed away peacefully in Peterborough Hospital, with his family around him, on Wednesday 30 July, aged 76. He is survived by his wife Rhiannon (formerly Head Dental Nurse of the Department of Periodontology at The London Hospital), son Nick (a College Fellow and former Course Director of the FGDP Diploma in Restorative Dentistry), daughter Angharad Sian (a solicitor in Hong Kong) and daughter-in-law Jane (a GDP in Hampshire).

Paying tribute to his legacy, the President of the College, Dr Roshni Karia MCGDent, said:

“Kevin was a great champion of general dental practice. As a young graduate, I was inspired in so many ways by the humility, insight and expertise which were the hallmarks of his lecturing, and I know that his loss will be felt by many others in our professional community. He will be dearly missed.”

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College of General Dentistry News

Donations sought for Coat of Arms Fund

The College has launched a fundraising appeal to support the full adoption of its Coat of Arms, Badge and new colours following its recent Grant of Arms.

(l-r): The College’s recently-granted Coat of Arms; Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent receiving the Grant of Arms; the College Badge

Donations to the Coat of Arms Fund will be used specifically to realise the privileges of being granted Arms to best possible effect in order to further enhance recognition of the College, the status of Members and the standing of the general dental profession in the UK and elsewhere. 

The appeal has been kick-started by Mick Horton FCGDent, Chair of CGDent’s Trustee Board, who has generously agreed to fund the design and production of a run of College Medals – the College’s most prestigious honour, awarded annually for exceptional service to the profession.

In addition, Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, the Honorary Founding President of the College and Chair of College Fundraising, has made a donation which will cover the cost of designing and producing a number of Past President’s medals.

A key ambition for further donations is the design, production and distribution of a new College lapel pin for every Member and Fellow featuring the College Badge – an opinicus rampant holding a giant pearl of wisdom – granted by the College of Arms. It is intended that the College’s Arms and Badge will soon become recognisable symbols of College membership, raising the profile and impact of the College across the UK and around the world as the only independent collegiate home for all members of the dental team.

The Coat of Arms Fund will also be used to have the College’s Grant of Arms by Letters Patent professionally mounted for permanent display.

Subject to the donations received, the Fund will also enable the design and production of other regalia to incorporate the Coat of Arms, Badge and new College colours, including membership and diploma certificates; an embossed leather-bound Fellows’ Register; ceremonial gowns for use by serving College Officers; and a special medal to be worn by the sitting President, which in recognition of the College’s history will be hung on the Chain of Office previously worn by Deans of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) [FGDP].

Another significant use will be to fund an application for the matriculation of the College’s Grant of Arms by the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh. The Letters Patent by which the College has been granted Arms provide official recognition in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but as a UK-wide organisation, parallel recognition in Scotland is a priority for the College and will be important in the future application for Royal Charter.

Over 120 individuals and organisations from across the UK and beyond have so far donated to support the establishment and development of the College. These are listed on the College website’s donors page, and in launching the Coat of Arms Appeal the College would like to thank a number of these whose generous contributions covered the £22,500 required for the processes which culminated in the Grant of Arms:

  • Dr Ali Al Bayati FCGDent
  • Col John Anderson FCGDent
  • Dr Tariq Ashraf FCGDent
  • Dr Christine Breare FCGDent
  • Dr John Gamon CBE FCGDent
  • Prof Stanley Gelbier FCGDent
  • Dr Edgar Gordon FCGDent
  • Dr Andrew Hadden FCGDent
  • Dr Robert Hensher FCGDent
  • Dr Stuart Johnston FCGDent
  • Dr Anthony Kravitz OBE FCGDent
  • Dr Abhijit Pal FCGDent
  • Mr William Sharpling FCGDent
  • Smile Academy
  • Dr Christopher Turner FCGDent
  • Prof Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent

The College is now seeking an additional £28,000 to fully realise the benefits of the Grant of Arms, and all Members and Fellows, supporters and supporting organisations of the College are encouraged to give generously to enable this to happen.

All donors, existing and new, will be acknowledged in the Autumn 2025 issue of the Primary Dental Journal and in perpetuity on the College website, with their cumulative donations, including to the Coat of Arms Fund, categorised as follows:

  • Major benefactors (>£50,000)
  • Benefactors (>£25,000)
  • Major donors (>£10,000)
  • Donors (>£5,000)
  • Major contributors (>£1,000)
  • Contributors (<£1,000)

Sir Nairn said:

“Donating to the Coat of Arms Fund is a special opportunity to go down in history as having contributed to the realisation of a historic milestone in the development of the College. This is a one-off opportunity to contribute to a lasting legacy which recognises the origins of dentistry as we know it today, and signifies the purpose, aims and aspirations of the College.”

All those wishing to secure a special place in the history of the development of the College should contact Sir Nairn, who will be pleased to assist you in becoming a Coat of Arms donor, and, if you are so minded, a College legator or regular donor. Please email [email protected]

CONTACT SIR NAIRN

A description of the symbolism and meaning behind each of the heraldic elements in the College’s Coat of Arms is here

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College of General Dentistry News

Education partnership with Dentistry Show London 2025

The College will once again be an education partner at Dentistry Show London this year.

CGDent speakers at Dentistry Show London 2025: Preetee Hylton RDN (left) and Helen Kaney FCGDent (right). Centre: College representatives at the CGDent stand

The College will be a partner in two CPD theatres, delivering one lecture in each; the Dental Care Professionals Hub, which has a programme created specifically with dental hygienists, therapists, nurses and the wider team in mind; and the new Keynote Theatre, which brings together the latest policy updates with advances in technology and technique. Both lectures will be free of charge for members and non-members of the College alike:

AI in dentistry – an indemnity perspective*

Friday 3 October 2025, 9.15am-10.00am

Helen Kaney FCGDent, Senior Dento-legal Advisor with the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, will deliver this lecture in the Keynote Theatre. A dually qualified dentist and solicitor, Helen graduated BDS from Glasgow University in 1987 and spent many years in general dental practice as well as working as a clinical assistant in conservative dentistry and prosthodontics at Glasgow Dental Hospital and at Guy’s Hospital in London. She developed an interest in law and ethics early in her career and studied law, obtaining an LLB, and then trained and worked as a solicitor for several years, acting for doctors and dentists in clinical negligence claims, regulatory matters and Fatal Accident Inquiries (Coroner’s Inquests) on the instructions of UK indemnity providers. She has significant experience in advising and assisting dentists in the UK and Ireland and in several international jurisdictions, and spent 14 years at Dental Protection as a Dentolegal and Senior Dentolegal Adviser and latterly as Medico and Dentolegal Services Team Lead and Head of Dental Services, Scotland. She completed an MBA at Strathclyde Business School, is a Fellow of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians, and served as an elected National Representative on the College Council from 2019-2025.

From disclosure to action: domestic abuse and the dental professional’s duty

Saturday 4 October 2025, 3.15pm-4.00pm

Preetee Hylton RDN, President of the British Association of Dental Nurses, will deliver this lecture in the Dental Care Professionals Hub. A full-time dental nurse and safeguarding lead at a private dental practice in London, Preetee is an Associate Examiner for the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses and delivers the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Principles and Practice in Dental Nursing. A former receptionist, practice manager, lead dental nurse and clinical mentor to student dental nurses, she holds the NEBDN National Certificate in Dental Nursing, BDA Education Certificates in Oral Health and in Dental Radiography, a Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector qualification and a Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement, and in 2021 completed the DDS Treatment Coordinator Programme. A founding member and the former Study Club Co-Director of the ITI UK & Ireland Dental Nurses community, she is an honorary ambassador for the Mouth Cancer Foundation, a member of the editorial board of Dental Nursing, an Associate Member of the College and a past contributor to the Primary Dental Journal.

College representatives will also be available throughout the show at the College’s exhibition stand (B29) to talk to attendees about all aspects of membership, fellowship and the College’s vision for the profession.

It is not possible to register for any specific lecture in advance, however those wishing to attend will need to register for Dentistry Show London 2025, which is free for all dental professionals. Conference attendees will have access to up to 100 CPD lectures, as well as 180 exhibiting suppliers, and the opportunity to network with 4,000 dentists, practice managers, hygienists and therapists, dental nurses, technicians and laboratory owners.

REGISTER HERE FOR FREE

*This title was updated on 22 August 2025; it was originally titled ‘AI and social media in dentistry – an indemnity perspective’

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College of General Dentistry News

MoU signed with RCS Edinburgh

The College has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Dr Roshni Karia MCGDent (l) and Professor Grant McIntyre (r) signing the MoU

With the signing ceremony taking place on 1 July, the fourth anniversary of CGDent’s launch, Dr Roshni Karia MCGDent, its President, and Simon Thornton-Wood PhD, its Chief Executive, met RCS Edinburgh colleagues to discuss future collaboration on education and examinations.

The MoU sets out an aspiration by the two Colleges to work together to provide practical ways for dental professionals to advance their careers, and among these it is expected that RCS Edinburgh’s diploma examinations will be recognised within the CGDent’s Career Pathways framework, including the Certified Practitioner credentialling scheme which will soon be launched.

Several RCS Edinburgh awards are already recognised towards CGDent membership:

Founded in 1505, RCS Edinburgh is the world’s oldest surgical college, and its Faculty of Dental Surgery was established in 1982.

The MoU was signed by Dr Karia on behalf of the College of General Dentistry and by Professor Grant McIntyre, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, on behalf of RCS Edinburgh. Dr Karia and Professor McIntyre said:

“We are delighted to enter into this important partnership between our two organisations and look forward to working together to support general dental professionals.”

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College of General Dentistry News

Booking opens for Perio-Occlusion Symposium

Dental professionals are invited to book their place at the Perio-Occlusion Symposium, which has been organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation in conjunction with the College. Members of the College are urged to share the details of the symposium with early career colleagues.

Lecture by Prof Paul Tipton at the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, April 2025

The symposium will take place on Saturday 20 September 2025 at the Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London and will focus on two aspects of aesthetic dentistry: ‘pink aesthetics’ and the role of occlusion in clear aligner therapy. In a change to previous announcements, lectures will be delivered by Dr Reena Wadia MCGDent and Dr Andy Toy FCGDent. Click for full speaker profiles.

Dr Reena Wadia

Dr Andy Toy

Dr Reena Wadia will present a range of clinical cases and examine the indications and steps of crown lengthening and gum recession surgery, reviewing the procedures currently available. Dr Andy Toy will focus on the steps involved in carrying out an occlusal examination and assessment to arrive at a suitable orthodontic treatment plan using aligner therapy, so as to ensure a healthy, functional occlusion and long-term stability of the treatment provided.

The symposium is designed for early career dental professionals and all dental professionals are welcome to attend. An accessible fee of £70 is available for those who qualified between 2020 to 2025*. For other dental professionals, the fee is £90. Delegates will receive 6 hours of verifiable CPD.

To increase awareness of this educational opportunity, members of the College are encouraged to pass on the details of the symposium to early career members in their team.

Further information & register

Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, Founder of the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, said:

“Our new symposium in September highlights two aspects of aesthetic dentistry which are both equally fundamental in the provision of successful treatment but which tend to be less understood by early career dental professionals, due to lack of training or experience.“

“An increasing number of younger colleagues are becoming involved in digital smile design and the provision of relevant restorations and the aesthetics and positioning of a patient’s gingival tissues are a vital part of that delivery. The provision of clear aligner therapy has also become very popular with early career dentists but less well understood is that to ensure successful delivery of treatment, an initial occlusal examination should be carried out. For long-term stability of the desired aesthetics, the occlusion on completion should be refined – if this is not carried out, retention such as splinting is likely to fail, followed by relapse. The symposium programme is designed to address these issues and support the ongoing professional development of early career colleagues.“

The Perio-Occlusion Symposium is the second in a series of symposia organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, in collaboration with the College. The Introduction to Occlusion Symposium took place in April this year, and received positive feedback from those who attended. One delegate described the day as “brilliant” and explained it covered treatments that “weren’t taught in university”.  Another said, “All the speakers spoke about occlusion in a comprehensive manner that I understood.”

Following the success of the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, plans have been made to repeat the event in another part of the country to allow a greater number of early career colleagues to attend. The symposium will take place in Edinburgh and registration will be open soon.

The College is also delighted to collaborate with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation to host the CGDent-GC Award for Foundation Trainees, and the Tom Bereznicki Award for Advanced Aesthetic Dentistry, which provide successful candidates with fully-funded clinical training. Anyone wishing to keep up-to-date with these opportunities and other College activities, are encouraged to create a free online account to become a College Subscriber.

*dental professionals who qualify in 2025 but are not yet registered with the GDC may book a place at the symposium and provide their registration details once they have them.

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