College of General Dentistry News

AMR to kill more than cancer: dental organisations heed the call to ‘Educate. Advocate. Act Now!’

Infections which are resistant to treatment by antibiotics already kill more people than malaria and HIV/Aids, and on the current rate of growth will kill more people than cancer within the next 25 years.

United Nations headquarters in New York; courtesy of Anfaenger/Pixabay

This stark projection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) illustrates the scale of the global problem which was the subject of a UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting in September.

AMR leads to antibiotics no longer being effective in treating or preventing infections, and is already restricting the ability to treat and prevent infections for some people. Ultimately, it may restrict the safe delivery of major surgery, chemotherapy, organ or stem cell transplants. AMR brings serious consequences for everyone.

World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) – 18-24 November – was set up by the UN’s World Health Organisation ten years ago and has since been broadened to encompass human, animal, plant and environmental health. Twenty national dental organisations have come together to support the WAAW 2024 theme, ‘Educate. Advocate. Act now.’

Since the dramatic increase in dental prescribing of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS dentistry has seen a year-on-year reduction. Further work is required so that everyone plays their part in keeping antibiotics working, by ensuring use only when strictly necessary.

The recently updated Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit provides free resources:

  • Educational resources and guidance for dental teams.
  • Advocacy resources for raising patient awareness raising about AMR.
  • Action-focused tools, including audit tools and a new approach to personal development planning for all dental team members.

By using these resources, the profession can support delivery of the UK’s second national action plan on AMR, which was published earlier this year, and dental practice owners and managers can also help demonstrate compliance with the Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections.

Dr Wendy Thompson FCGDent, the College of General Dentistry’s AMR Lead, attended the recent UN meeting on AMR in New York:

“Dental professionals can help preserve the life-saving effectiveness of antibiotics for the health of our patients and for future generations. On behalf of all the organisations supporting this campaign, I urge colleagues to use the resources in the toolkit to ensure that they are only prescribing antimicrobials when strictly necessary, and to educate patients on the risks to themselves and wider society of unnecessary use of antibiotics. Please do what you can – Educate. Advocate. Act now!”

References:

HM Government (UK). Policy paper: Confronting AMR 2024-2029. 8 May 2024. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-action-plan-for-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029/confronting-antimicrobial-resistance-2024-to-2029

United Nations, Political declaration of the High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance. https://www.un.org/pga/wp-content/uploads/sites/108/2024/09/FINAL-Text-AMR-to-PGA.pdf

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College of General Dentistry News

College Fellows receive PFA honours

The Pierre Fauchard Academy (PFA), an international dental honours organisation founded in 1936, has conferred awards upon two senior members of the College.

Sir Nairn receiving his Elmer S Best Award medal and plaque. (l-r): Robert Cattoi, PFA International Executive Director; Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent; Dr Pankaj Patel OGW FCGDent, PFA International President; Dr Ghabi Kaspo, PFA Vice-President

Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, President Emeritus of the College, has received the Academy’s prestigious Elmer S Best Memorial Award. Named in memory of the founder of the Academy, it is awarded for distinguished contributions of international significance to dentistry, and is given to no more than one dentist from outside the United States in any one year. In making the award, the PFA Board of Trustees congratulated Sir Nairn on his lifetime of service to dentistry, recognising the impact of his work across the globe.

The award was presented in New Orleans at the Academy’s 86th Annual Meeting and International Gala, which was held in October in conjunction with the American Dental Association’s 2024 Annual Convention.

Sir Nairn is the first British recipient of the award in almost 30 years and only the sixth since it was established in 1962. The previous UK-based winners were Martin Rushton in 1967, Cyril Devere-Green in 1973, Gerald Leatherman in 1977, Hamish Thomson in 1991 and Dr John McLean OBE in 1996.

Dr Pankaj Patel OGW FCGDent, the Academy’s International President, congratulated Sir Nairn on joining the illustrious list of recipients:

“It is an honour for the Pierre Fauchard Academy to recognise Sir Nairn. His contributions to dental literature and his support of dental education and dentistry in general are well-known by legions of dentists around the world. We were pleased that Sir Nairn and Lady Wilson could join us at our international gala in New Orleans.”

Thanking the Academy for the award, Sir Nairn said:

“It is an exceptional honour to be recognised by one’s peers nationally; it is humbling to be recognised and honoured by one’s peers internationally, specifically for distinguished contributions of international significance to dentistry.”

Indicating that he will treasure the prestigious honour, Sir Nairn expressed the hope that he would have the opportunity to strengthen his contribution to the activities and mission of the Academy, which are ‘to recognise and develop outstanding leadership in dentistry internationally’. 

Manny Vasant wearing a PFA fellowship stole and holding a plaque commemorating his induction as an honorary fellow of the Academy. (l-r): Dr Pankaj Patel OGW FCGDent; Dr Cheryl Billingsley, PFA President-Elect; Manny Vasant MBE FCGDent; Dr Ghabi Kaspo.

Dr Manny (Manjul) Vasant MBE FCGDent, a general dental practitioner for over 50 years, was inducted as an Honorary Fellow of the Academy – another rare honour for a UK dentist – at the same event.

Dr Vasant is principal of a mixed NHS-and-private dental practice in Croydon, London, and has been staff dentist at Croydon University Hospital since 1985. He is also a registered specialist in prosthodontics and has been placing dental implants since 1994.

A former Fellow, board member and regional diploma tutor of the Faculty of General Dental Practice of the Royal College of Surgeons of England – FGDP, the forerunner of the College – he completed its Diploma in Implant Dentistry and Diploma of Membership in General Dental Surgery.

He is also a Fellow of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Honorary Fellow of the International College of Dentists, and former advisor and organiser for vocational dental training in London, examiner for the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses and recipient of the British Society for General Dental Surgery’s Cottrell Award for contribution to general dental practice. He was awarded an MBE for services to dentistry in 2001.

Commenting on his award from the PFA, Dr Vasant said:

“I cannot fully describe how much I appreciate being the recipient of such a prestigious award. I am truly honoured. Although I have been a Fellow of the PFA for several years now, this award will inspire me to enhance my contribution to the Academy, which has done so much to recognise and promote leadership in dentistry and raise the profile of the profession.”

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College of General Dentistry News

PDJ editor honoured with prestigious international research award

Professor Igor Blum, editor-in-chief of the College’s Primary Dental Journal, has been chosen as this year’s winner of the esteemed International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Ivar Mjör Award.

Professor Igor Blum (right) being presented with the Ivar Mjör Award 2024 by Professor Richard Wierichs, Chair of the IADR Network for Practice-Based Research

Given annually, the award is named in honour of the late President of the IADR, the Norwegian dentist Professor Ivar Mjör, who was a world-renowned researcher and one of the most eminent champions of practice-based dental research in Europe, the US and elsewhere.

The highest award conferred by the IADR for practice-based research, it was given to Professor Blum in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the field, particularly the national and international importance of his translation of practice-based research findings into clinical recommendations.

His impactful publications on the management of failing dental restorations, the reasons for the placement and replacement of direct restorations, and the longevity of posterior composite restorations placed in practice-based settings were among those considered by the selection committee.

Professor Blum coined the term ‘reparative dentistry’, and the citation also notes that his contribution over a quarter of a century to the development, teaching and promotion of the repair of failing yet serviceable dental restorations, as a minimally invasive alternative to replacement, has paved the way for it to become an internationally acknowledged and recognised treatment approach.

Another notable example of his influence are his 2002 standardised diagnostic description criteria for dry socket (alveolar osteitis). ‘Blum’s definition’[i], which is widely referenced in textbooks and presentations and has become the most used definition for dry socket worldwide, has been cited in over 750 journal papers to date.

Professor Blum was also nominated in recognition of his promotion of practice-based clinical, educational and research articles through the Primary Dental Journal (PDJ), in combination with its increased international profile during his tenure as editor. The PDJ is our quarterly, peer-reviewed, professional development journal. Uniquely dedicated to primary dental care, each issue is distributed in print to our UK and international members and subscribers and made available online in over 10,500 academic institutions worldwide.

Professor of Primary Care Dentistry and Advanced General Dental Practice at King’s College London, and a consultant and specialist in restorative dentistry, Professor Blum is only the second UK-based recipient of the Ivar Mjör Award – the first being Professor Sir Nairn Wilson, the PDJ’s inaugural editor.

The award was presented in October in Bern, Switzerland.

[i] Blum IR. Contemporary views on dry socket (alveolar osteitis): a clinical appraisal of standardization, aetiopathogenesis and management: a critical review. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2002 Jun;31(3):309-17. doi: 10.1054/ijom.2002.0263.

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College of General Dentistry News

Oral medicine, leadership and TMD – PDJ themes for 2025

The College has announced the themes and guest editors for the 2025 issues (volume 14) of its Primary Dental Journal (PDJ).

(l-r) 2025 PDJ guest editors: Dr Ziad Al-Ani, Dr Emma Hayes and Professor Sreenivas Koka FCGDent

The Spring issue will be a general edition with articles covering a wide range of topics relevant to general dental practice. The 50th issue of the PDJ, it is expected to be published in April.

The Summer issue will be the first to be dedicated to oral medicine. Due out in July, it will be guest-edited by Dr Emma Hayes.

The Autumn issue, devoted to leadership in dentistry, will be guest-edited by Professor Sreenivas Koka FCGDent and will go to press in late September.

The Winter issue will be the first thematic edition of the PDJ to explore temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Guest-edited by Dr Ziad Al-Ani, it will be distributed in December.

Uniquely dedicated to primary dental care, PDJ is the College’s quarterly, peer-reviewed, professional development journal. In partnership with one of the world’s leading journal publishers, each issue is printed and distributed to the College’s UK and international members and subscribers, indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus, and made available online in over 10,500 academic institutions worldwide.

Dr Hayes is a Consultant and Clinical Lead in Oral Medicine at King’s College London Dental Institute, with special interests in facial pain and paediatric oral medicine conditions. After qualifying as a doctor from the University of Oxford in 2008, she worked in the north of England and gained Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. She then studied dentistry on King’s College London’s three-year programme for medical graduates, also working part-time in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Graduating in 2013, she completed specialty training in oral medicine at the Eastman Dental Hospital in 2019. She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education from University College London and contributed to the 2023 update of the Oral Medicine Specialty Training Curriculum.

Professor Koka is Dean of the University of Mississippi Dental School. 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 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 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 both Koka Dental Clinic and the non-profit Career Design in Dentistry in San Diego. 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. Author/co-author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and nine book chapters, he is co-founder of the Future Leaders in Prosthodontics (FLiP) programme and founder of the Shaping the Future of Implant Dentistry (SHIFT) leadership workshop series. Brought up in Romford, he emigrated to the United States at the age of 19 and is one of 16 dentists in his family.

Dr Al-Ani is a Senior Lecturer and Senior Recognised-Excellence-in-Teaching Fellow at the University of Glasgow Dental School, and former professor of Temporomandibular Disorders at the College of Medicine and Dentistry. He graduated BDS and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Damascus, before being awarded an MSc in Prosthodontics and PhD on temporomandibular disorders and occlusion at the University of Manchester. He then became a Clinical Teacher in Restorative Dentistry and Research Co-ordinator for the TMD clinic at Manchester, later obtaining Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. He is a former Director of the International Association for Dental Research’s Prosthodontics Research Group, former member of the editorial board of the Journal of Prosthodontics, and author of the books ‘Temporomandibular Disorders: A Problem-Based Approach’ and ‘Practical Procedures in Dental Occlusion’. 

Submissions will be accepted for the issue on leadership until 7 January 2025 and for the issue on TMD until 7 April 2025. Submissions on any other topic relevant to primary dental care can be made until 7 July 2025 for consideration for the Spring 2026 general issue. Instructions for authors are available here.

Dr Al-Ani’s paper, Whiplash-associated temporomandibular disorders: a review article (PDJ vol. 12, no. 1, March 2023) has been made available for all dental professionals to download free of charge.

He was also author of Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthrosis: a review of clinical aspects and management (vol. 10, no. 1, March 2021) and Occlusion and Temporomandibular Disorders: a long-standing controversy in dentistry (vol. 9. no. 1, April 2020), and co-author of Occlusion on a single implant-supported crown: any differences? (vol. 11, no. 2, June 2022).

These are available in the online PDJ Library to College members and PDJ subscribers, as is Dr Hayes’ paper, An overview of vesicobullous conditions affecting the oral mucosa, (vol. 5 no. 1, March 2016).

Members can read these articles by logging in via the button below, then clicking ‘Access the PDJ Library’:

PDJ MEMBER ACCESS

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College of General Dentistry News

CGDent and Dentsply Sirona launch the Tom Bereznicki Award for Advanced Aesthetic Dentistry

The College has partnered with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation and Dentsply Sirona to develop a new aesthetic dentistry award for early career dentists.

The Tom Bereznicki Award for Advanced Aesthetic Dentistry recognises aesthetic dentistry skills and patient care and is open to dentists who qualified in the UK or Ireland between 2019 to 2023, or who qualified overseas between 2019 to 2023 and have been practising in the UK for at least the past two years.

36 successful candidates will each receive a fully funded place on a bespoke, hands-on two-day digital dentistry course at the Dentsply Sirona Academy in Weybridge, Surrey. The course is repeated on three separate dates. Travel costs, hotel accommodation and subsistence are included in the prize.

The digital dentistry course has been designed by Dr Tom Bereznicki BDS (Edin), FDS RCS (Ed), MFDTEd, FCGDent, MFDSEng and Dr Chris Leech BDS, MAGDS RCS (Ed), MFDS RCPS (Glasg), Dip Imp Dent RCS (Ed), FDS RCS (Ed), FCGDent. Created solely for the Award, the course is aimed at dentists with limited of working with a digital workflow. The exclusive course is only open to winners of the new Award and is not available commercially.

Delivered predominantly through short demonstrations and comprehensive hands-on sessions, participants on the course will be guided step-by-step through the complete process of creating a digitally produced crown, from scanning to cementation. Theory modules, such as material science, will be provided through pre-course and post-course videos.

To enter, candidates must submit pre-op photographs of an aesthetic case they are about to start treating and upload a final case report when treatment is complete.  The case must involve more than one tooth, including at least one anterior tooth, and the use of composite to restore teeth. It must mainly follow an analogue workflow. Full case eligibility guidance is outlined on the Award web page.

The inaugural Award is now open and the deadline to enter the competition with pre-op photographs is Friday 2 May 2025*. Entrants have until Friday 5 September 2025 to complete the treatment and submit their final case. The successful candidates will be announced in October and the digital dentistry courses will take place on Friday-Saturday 14-15 November 2025, Friday-Saturday 28-29 November 2025, and a Friday-Saturday in early 2026 (date to be confirmed). The number of Award entries has been capped at 150, and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click the button below for further information about the award, links to guidance for entrants and the entry form.

further information

Further opportunities for early career dentists

The College is collaborating with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, and other partners, to deliver a range of educational opportunities for early career dental professionals.

Occlusion and perio symposia
Featuring a line-up of expert speakers, a series of symposia for early career dentists on the topics of occlusion and perio will take place in London in 2025. Find out more.

CGDent and GC Award for Foundation Trainees
Dentists and dental therapists enrolled on DFT are eligible to enter the CGDent-GC Award 2024/25, to win fully funded composite layering training in Belgium. Full details and entry form.

*The entry and submission deadlines have been extended and the course due to take place on 4-5 July 2025 has been rescheduled to early 2026 (date to be confirmed).

College of General Dentistry News

Occlusion and perio symposia for early career dentists

The College of General Dentistry is delighted to partner with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation to host a series of symposia for early career dentists on the topics of Occlusion and Perio. 

Carefully curated for early career dentists, the symposia will be open to dentists who qualified in the UK or overseas between 2019 and 2023 and have been practising in the UK for at least the past two years.

Introduction to Occlusion Symposium

The first of the symposia, Introduction to Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists, will take place on Saturday 5 April 2025 at the Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London.

A line-up of renowned speakers will deliver a series of lectures 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.

The opening lecture will be delivered by Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, a general dental practitioner with a special interest in restorative dentistry and founder of the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation. Dr Bereznicki’s presentation will be followed by sessions from Professor Paul Tipton FCGDent, Dr Ken Harris FCGDent, Dr Tif Qureshi FCGDent and Dr Shiraz Khan, and Dr Koray Feran FCGDent.

Dr Tom Bereznicki
Prof Paul Tipton
Dr Ken Harris
Dr Tif Qureshi
Dr Shiraz Khan
Dr Koray Feran
introduction to occlusion symposium
5 April 2025

Perio-Occlusion Symposium

The second in the series of symposia for early career dentists will focus on the aesthetic aspects of perio and functional occlusal aspects post orthodontic treatment and will also take place at Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London on Saturday 20 September 2025.

The event will consist of two half-day sessions delivered by Dr Reena Wadia MCGDent, a Specialist Periodontist and founder of Perio School, and Dr Raman Aulakh FCGDent, a Specialist Orthodontist, Invisalign Platinum Elite Doctor and co-founder of Aligner Dental Academy.

Dr Reena Wadia
Dr Raman Aulakh
perio-occlusion symposium
20 September 2025

Alongside the programme of lectures, delegates at either symposia who wish to develop their knowledge of occlusion or perio further, can visit a selection of education stands to learn more about leading postgraduate courses available in these fields.

To ensure the symposia are accessible to early career dentists, the fee for each event has been set at an affordable rate of £75 per symposium and they will each take place on a Saturday to avoid time away from clinic.

Tickets for the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists will be made available from January 2025. Bookings for the Perio-Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists will open later next year, and as places are limited, dentists are advised to secure a ticket early to avoid disappointment.

Eligible dentists interested in attending either or both symposia, are urged to ‘save-the-dates’ and sign-up to receive a notification as soon as tickets go on sale.

introduction to occlusion
5 April 2025
perio-occlusion symposium
20 September 2025

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation supports educational initiatives for early career dentists and is working in conjunction with the College, and other collaborators, to provide a range of developmental opportunities for this cohort. Alongside the Introduction to Occlusion and the Perio-Occlusion Symposia, the Foundation funds the CGDent and GC Award for Foundation Trainees, which offers the chance to win fully-funded composite layering training in Belgium. An advanced aesthetic dentistry competition, which will provide each successful candidate with a fully-funded place on a hands-on digital dentistry course, is launching soon and other projects are also planned.

Subscribe to the College for free to receive our monthly newsletter and stay informed about all upcoming opportunities with the College and the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation.

College of General Dentistry News

New PDJ online: Implant dentistry (part one)

The latest issue of the Primary Dental Journal, ‘Implant dentistry (part one)’, is available to view online now.

The implant dentistry theme has been split across two consecutive journal issues – parts 1 and 2. Papers in this part 1 issue include the role of the general dental practitioner in the care of the implant patient; dental nursing in implant dentistry; the hygienist’s role in the management of the implant patient in primary care; and dentolegal considerations in implant dentistry. The main objective of this first issue is to provide readers with a cutting-edge update on the topics, and to raise awareness of the need to manage implant patients in primary care.

The guest editor of this part 1 issue is Amin Aminian FCGDent, a Specialist in Prosthodontics in Greater Manchester. Amin explains the impetus for the collection of papers, and urges readers to share these Implant dentistry issues with all colleagues:

“My aim…was to highlight how implant therapy can, and should, be predominantly provided in primary care. The articles highlight how implant dentistry can positively impact our patients’ quality of life, regardless of the care setting.

“I sincerely hope you enjoy the two implant dentistry issues. At the outset, they were intended for all members of the primary care team, be it those who have yet to begin their implant journey or those more experienced in all aspects of the treatment. The articles highlight the important role all members of the team need to play, with the patient central to the care plan.”

Implant Dentistry – a journey from the beginnings to what has become an established discipline

Prof Igor Blum’s editorial introducing the PDJ implant dentistry issues is available to read here.

Part 2 – which is due out in winter and guest-edited by Professor Ilser Turkyilmaz of New York University – will have a greater focus on clinical aspects of implant dentistry, including complications and adverse events, and recent technological advancements in the field.

Full online access to the majority of articles is reserved for College of General Dentistry members and Primary Dental Journal subscribers, who can also expect their printed copies to arrive in the next 2–3 weeks.

For non-members / non-subscribers, at least one paper in each issue is made available online free of charge, with all other articles available to purchase via the links below.

An annual print subscription to the PDJ is included with membership of the College, which also includes online access to over 1,400 current and past issues in the PDJ Library and a range of other benefits.

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.

Joining gift: Implant Dentistry parts 1 & 2

To mark the publication of the first of our new PDJ issues on implant dentistry, anyone joining the College or its Register of Mentors in Implant Dentistry before 31 December 2024 will receive a printed copy. They will also be sent part 2 once available.

JOIN THE COLLEGE
APPLY TO JOIN THE REGISTER

ISSUE CONTENTS:

CGDent members can view full articles by logging in via the yellow button below, then clicking ‘Access the PDJ Library’:

PDJ MEMBER ACCESS

Editor sought for the Primary Dental Journal

The College is currently recruiting a new Editor for the Primary Dental Journal. To find out more, click here

College of General Dentistry News

New register of implant dentistry mentors

The College has launched an online register of qualified mentors in implant dentistry.

Developed in conjunction with the Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) and the International Team for Implantology (ITI), the new Register of Mentors in Implant Dentistry will support high standards of training and practice in implant dentistry by providing recognition to those who have met specific standards in their clinical and mentoring practice. Freely accessible and searchable by the profession at large, it will also enable those undertaking training in implant dentistry to identify and contact appropriately experienced and qualified mentors.

Mentoring is recognised as a critical element of a practitioner’s training in implant dentistry, and is among the requirements of the College’s Training Standards in Implant Dentistry document, which sets the minimum standards for training which those practising implant dentistry in the UK must have undertaken.

The specific experience, skills and qualities required of a mentor are articulated in the College’s Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines and are the basis for the eligibility criteria for inclusion the new register, all of which must be met:

  1. Postgraduate degree or qualification in implant dentistry, or documentary evidence of completion of a structured implant training course with at least 70 hours of verifiable contact learning and meeting, or (for those who commenced implant dentistry before 2005) demonstrably equivalent training and experience.
  1. Placed and/or restored at least 250 implants in a variety of clinical situations, depending on which aspects of care are being mentored. (Suitability can also be demonstrated from a lower number of cases with appropriate insight and reflection).
  1. Five years’ experience in the specific prosthetic or surgical technique that the mentee is being trained in. This should be in the form of a description of the mentor’s overall post-qualification experience and specifically their implant training, courses attended and clinical experience.
  1. Successful completion of an accredited medical education or mentoring course, or two years in a substantive implant-related teaching post which includes clinical supervision.

Applications to join the register are reviewed by a panel comprising representatives of CGDent, the ADI and the ITI. Once admitted, mentors will be subject to a Code of Conduct to ensure that any mentoring provided is in accordance with the guidelines, and they will also need to provide an annual declaration that they are still undertaking implant dentistry and that they are maintaining their expertise in both clinical and mentoring skills.

There is currently no application fee, however those admitted to the register will pay an annual fee for inclusion. The introductory annual fee is £500, but Full Members, Associate Fellows or Fellows of the College pay only £250. Members of the ADI and ITI also benefit from a reduced rate of £400, and those who are members of both the College and either the ADI or ITI pay just £160 per annum. The effective cost of the fee can be significantly reduced through tax relief.

For further information, visit the Register of Mentors in Implant Dentistry

APPLY TO JOIN THE REGISTER

PDJ Implant Dentistry issues

Anyone joining the Register of Mentors in Implant Dentistry (and/or the College) before 31 December 2024 will receive printed copies of the two upcoming issues of the Primary Dental Journal devoted to implant dentistry.

College of General Dentistry News

New messaging service for members

College members can now contact each other via the new Member Messaging service.

The free service has been developed to enable members to establish or re-establish contact with other members so that they can help, guide and collaborate with each other.

All members of the College can both send and receive messages via the new system, which will also be available to those non-members who join the College’s forthcoming Register of Implant Dentistry Mentors, and will enable College members to contact non-members on that register.

To be able to receive messages, members must opt in within the ‘Preferences’ section of their online account, and must also have not opted out of appearing on the College’s online Member Register. Those admitted to the Register of Implant Dentistry Mentors will be opted in by default. Scroll down for full instructions.

Messages are initiated by clicking the ‘Message’ link on the intended recipient’s individual page on the Member Register. If available, the message link will appear directly underneath the intended recipient’s name near the top of the page, and clicking it will open a new page where a subject line and message can be entered and sent. If the message link does not appear, this means either that the sender has not logged in or that the intended recipient has not opted in to receiving messages.

When a message is sent, the recipient is alerted to it by an email which provides a link to their Member Messaging inbox, where they can read and reply to the message. Their reply is then sent to the original sender’s Member Messaging inbox and likewise triggers email notification.

The system has been designed to keep members’ email addresses confidential, though users are free to share their contact details within correspondence should they wish.

Further information is available on your personal Member Messaging page. Please note this page will only be visible if you are a member of the College, and only when logged in.

How to enable other members to contact you

1. Sign in to your account using the email address you have registered with the College.

If you need to use the ‘Forgot Password’ option, please check your junk/spam folder in case the password reset email is directed there

2. Click Update my account

3. Click  Preferences

4. Under Exclude my details from the Register of Members & Fellows, select No

5. Under Allow messaging by other Members & Fellows, select Yes

6. Click Save changes

If ‘Save changes’ cannot be completed, you may first need to complete other fields on the ‘Update my account’ page

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College of General Dentistry News

Award offers hands-on course to Foundation Trainees

The CGDent and GC Award for Foundation Trainees, which promotes clinical skills and patient care, is now open for entries to the 2024/25 competition.

Following a successful inaugural year, and an expansion to the award’s eligibility criteria, dentists and dental therapists who qualified in the UK or Ireland in 2024 and are practising in the UK or Ireland, or who are undertaking Dental Foundation Training or Dental Vocational Training in 2024/25, are invited to enter. Entrants must submit a restorative case they are about to start treating which involves more than one tooth, and includes at least one anterior tooth, as well as the use of composite to restore teeth.

The number of winning places has also been increased to 18, with each successful candidate receiving a fully-funded place on a hands-on, two-day composite layering course at the GC Education Campus in Leuven, Belgium. The prize is worth around £1,400 per place and includes the costs of international travel, hotel accommodation and subsistence.

The successful candidates in the inaugural competition took part in the bespoke composite layering course in July 2024. One delegate said the course “offered an excellent balance between theoretical and hands-on components of learning” and provided “support to each delegate.” Another commented that they gained “time management, enriched patient communication skills and overall restorative skills.”

The 2024/25 award is now open, the closing date for entry is Friday 14 February 2025, and final cases must be submitted by Friday 11 April 2025. The winners will be announced in May, and their course will take place on Thursday–Friday 10–11 July 2025.

The CGDent-GC Award is funded by The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation and organised in conjunction with the College of General Dentistry and GC. The Foundation supports educational opportunities for early career dentists in the UK, and was founded by Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, a general dental practitioner with a special interest in restorative dentistry.

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

Speaking about the award, Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent commented:

“The Trustees of the Foundation were delighted with the number and high standard of entries for the inaugural award. The winners thoroughly enjoyed the GC course in Belgium and felt that their knowledge and handling of composite materials and restorations was significantly improved over the two days. One of the requirements of the competition was a reflection on the outcome of the case and feedback from those who did not go through as winners suggests they had learnt a lot during the process, which would positively impact treatment they provide in the future. Based on this unqualified success, the competition will go ahead this year and will also be open to Dental Therapists.”

Professor Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent said:

“As Founding President Emeritus of the College of General Dentistry (CGDent), Patron of the Tom Berezniki Charitable Educational Foundation and a career-long collaborator with GC, I am delighted to encourage all those eligible, to consider entering the 2024–2025 CGDent-GC Award. Based on the outcome and feedback from the inaugural award, the winners of this year’s competition will be able to look forward to a highly rewarding educational experience at the fantastic GC Campus in Leuven, Belgium.”

John Maloney, GC’s Director and Country Manager for the UK, Ireland and South Africa, said:

“GC are proud to continue our collaboration with The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation and the College of General Dentistry, to deliver high quality education to dental professionals at the very start of their career. Our team in Belgium were delighted to host the first cohort of award winners, and we look forward to meeting the successful 2024/25 candidates in July next year.”

Click the button below for further information about the award and links to guidance for entrants and the entry form.

further information

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