The latest edition of the Primary Dental Journal, the Dental trauma issue, is now live online featuring a wide range of topics relating to aspects of general dental practice and the primary care team.
College of General Dentistry News

New PDJ online: Dental trauma

The latest issue of the Primary Dental Journal (vol.12, no.4), on the theme of dental trauma, is now live online.

Focussed on the theme of dental trauma, it is guest edited by Beth Burns, a Consultant & Clinical Lead in Restorative Dentistry at Glasgow Dental Hospital and Board Member of Dental Trauma UK.

In this issue, Mrs Burns has selected a range of key topics for the whole team of dental professionals, including a review of the International Association for Dental Traumatology (IADT) 2020 guidelines, how to prepare for success in dealing with dental trauma, and advice on how to prevent or minimise dental trauma. A full list of papers is below.

While dental trauma is most common in paediatric patients, this issue also looks at the challenges presented in the management of adult trauma patients. As an unscheduled and urgent aspect of dentistry, dental trauma usually presents a level of stress to both the patient and also the dental team, and the issue offers ways to alleviate these stresses in primary dental care through knowledge and practical advice on the assessment and management of a range of traumatic dental events.

Beth Burns summarises:

“This issue aims to provide not just a review of the most up-to-date guidance, but also a demonstration of practical application, with an abundance of clinical cases discussed, and all injury diagnoses covered.

“In planning the contents of this journal, I have aimed to provide dental professionals with a comprehensive source of current information in an easily accessible format. I am immensely proud of the quality of articles all the authors have contributed to this issue, and I hope you will find them an extremely useful resource you can refer to time and time again.”

Overseeing the papers alongside Mrs Burns, the PDJ‘s Editor-in-Chief Professor Igor Blum says this issue will serve as a guide for general dental practice:

“Beth and the contributing authors have excelled in achieving our joint vision to reduce anxiety for the general dental practice team by providing relevant and useful information alongside guidelines to assist in manging patients who have sustained traumatic dental injuries. I am certain readers will find the collection of articles in this issue of interest and will be able to glean useful tips for the next time you will be presented with a patient suffering from acute dental trauma.”

Full access to the majority of articles is reserved for College of General Dentistry members and Primary Dental Journal subscribers. For non-members / non-subscribers, individual print issues are available to purchase from £42. An annual print subscription, normally costing £129, is included with membership of the College. Membership is available from £125 for dentists, from £83 for other dental professionals, and from £42 for Dental Nurses and those eligible for a concession and also includes online access to the PDJ Archive of over 1,400 articles, and a range of other benefits.

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

On behalf of the College, the PDJ editorial team would like to express its gratitude to all the authors and peer reviewers who have contributed to the publication of this issue.

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

PDJ member access

At least one paper in each issue is made available online free of charge on an Open Access basis. Non-members can view all other full articles using the purchase options presented when clicking the individual article links below, or can use the links above to purchase a complete issue or an annual subscription, or become a member.

Issue contents:

The next issue of the journal will feature a wide range of General dentistry papers, and is due out in Spring 2024.

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College of General Dentistry News

Preventing antimicrobial resistance together

Understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the drivers for its development will help healthcare professionals work together to reduce its emergence and spread. It is well documented that the more we use antimicrobial agents, the more drug resistance will develop. Fourteen national dental organisations have come together to support the World AMR Awareness Week theme, “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together”.

If no action is taken, AMR infections are predicted to lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050; a number higher than the total caused by COVID-19 during the pandemic period. Therefore, dental professionals have worked together to update the online dental antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) toolkit with resources for dental teams, students and patients as well as wider healthcare professionals.1 The range of educational resources included a new website for students and educators providing links to various online training courses.2  

Our profession already focuses on the prevention of oral diseases to reduce the incidence of severe infections that necessitate the use of antimicrobial agents. Adhering to the best practice recommendations aimed at preventing infections, in addition to stewarding the use of antimicrobial agents, is very important. Accordingly, “Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention3” is included in the updated AMS toolkit1. It is also acknowledged that system-level changes are required to facilitate the provision of best practice. Furthermore, we need to look to the future and ensure appropriate disposal of antimicrobials to reduce environmental contamination.  Guidance on the appropriate disposal of waste in healthcare settings including dentistry is available in HTM07-01 and SHTN3.4

We encourage you to make the most out of these resources to ensure you and your team are working together to help keep your patients safe by tackling the problem of AMR:

  1. Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit* is available via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/dental-antimicrobial-stewardship-toolkit
  2. Keep Antimicrobial Working (KAW) education resource for students and educator are available at https://bsac-kaw.co.uk/
  3. Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention is available via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention
  4. Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste is available via https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf and for Scotland, the Scottish Health Technical Note 3 (SHTN 3) in https://www.nss.nhs.scot/publications/waste-management-shtn-3/
  5. Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship in Scotland is available via https://www.sapg.scot/guidance-qi-tools/dental-stewardship/. SAPG Dental statement  recommending phenoxymethylpenicillin as first line when antibiotics are required for acute dento-alveolar infections available via https://www.sapg.scot/media/5473/statement-on-pen-v-in-dental-infections.pdf

This statement is developed and supported by the Association of Clinical Oral Microbiologists, College of General Dentistry, Association of Dental Hospitals, British Association of Oral Surgeons, British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, British Dental Association, British and Irish Society of Oral Medicine, British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Faculty of Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group and Health Education and Improvement Wales.

*Recent updates to the Dental Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit are in the process of being made online. If signposted to the former FGDP, users should instead visit https://cgdent.uk/standards-guidance/

College of General Dentistry News

Prestigious Presidency for College Fellow

College Fellow Dr Pankaj Patel has taken up post as President of the Pierre Fauchard Academy.

A private practitioner who trained in Mumbai, is based in Nairobi, and has also practised and studied in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and the US, he was previously the organisation’s Trustee for Africa and International Vice President.

The first Specialist in General Dental Practice registered with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dental Council, he was a senior lecturer and examiner in restorative dentistry at the University of Nairobi for over 15 years, has supported the training of dental nurses in Kenya and set up the country’s first MFGDP study group. He is a member of the Kenya Medical Association and has served on the Council of the Kenya Dental Association and on the Medical Advisory Committee of the Kenya Hospital Association. An approved dentist for the UN in Kenya and the US embassies in East and Central Africa, he oversees the dental department of the Jalaram Medical Services charity, is a Founder Trustee of the nascent College of Dental Surgeons of Eastern Africa, and has been awarded The Order of Grand Warrior of Kenya in recognition of his services to the nation in dentistry.   

He was a Fellow and the first elected Overseas Representative of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK, is a Life Member of the Society for Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry, and has been awarded Fellowships by the Royal Society of Health, Royal Society of Medicine, International College of Dentists, American College of Dentists and Academy of Dentistry International.

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

“I was delighted to learn of Pankaj’s election to the Presidency of the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Such a prestigious post is a well-deserved honour for someone who has already done so much for dentistry internationally. Many congratulations on behalf of the College, we wish him all the best for his term as President.”

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College of General Dentistry News

College partnership with BDCDS24

At the 2024 edition of the British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show (BDCDS24), the College will once again be the headline education partner for the Enhanced CPD Theatre.

The annual conference, which will take place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 May, is the UK’s largest dental event, bringing together the whole dental team with 9,000 dental professionals gathering under one roof.

Free to attend for all registered dental professionals, attendees can expect over 200 lectures across 11 CPD theatres in total, as well as the opportunity to meet over 400 exhibitors. Details of the College’s lectures will be announced in due course.

The College will also be hosting a stand throughout the conference where staff and senior members will be available to answer any queries you may have about the College and membership, or just to say hello.

Further details about BDCDS24 are available on the conference website.

Use the link below to pre-register your interest and be the first to hear once delegate registration is live.

PRE-REGISTER HERE

College of General Dentistry News

Recognition of non-UK postgraduate qualifications

A new process has been announced for the consideration of postgraduate qualifications awarded outside the UK in helping determine eligibility for Full Membership, Associate Fellowship and Fellowship of the College.

Map highlighting member states of the European Higher Education Area

To date, equivalence for qualifications awarded outside the UK has been determined on a case-by-case basis, with the requirements of each award submitted in support of applications examined individually. However, with an increasing number of applications from dental professionals around the world, a more straightforward and transparent process has now been developed.

In line with the principles of the Lisbon Recognition Convention and Bologna Process, relevant postgraduate awards from recognised Higher Education institutions in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) will now be accepted by default.

However, those submitting postgraduate qualifications awarded by an institution outside of the EHEA will be asked to provide a Statement of Comparability, which can be obtained from the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills (UK ENIC, formerly UK NARIC) for a small fee.

The EHEA sits apart from the European Union but includes all current EU member states as well as Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, Serbia, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK, almost 50 countries in all.

College membership marks a dental professional’s commitment to professional development and career progression, and the College accepts all qualified and licensed dental professionals around the world into Associate Membership.

Postgraduate qualifications are required to enter into substantive membership grades, and the College encourages members to upgrade their membership where eligible to reflect their professional standing.

Unless they hold the MJDF, MFDS, MFGDP(UK) or DGDP, applicants for Full Membership require a relevant and accredited Level 7[1] Postgraduate Certificate providing 60 UK credits or an international equivalent[2].

Holders of the MGDS, DPDS, a Specialty Membership of a UK Faculty or one of certain CGDent/FGDP(UK)/RCS Edinburgh-issued diplomas are automatically eligible for Associate Fellowship, however applicants otherwise require a relevant and accredited Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma providing 120 UK credits, or a Master’s-level qualification providing 180 credits, or a Doctorate.

Most suitable and relevant Postgraduate Diplomas, Master’s degrees and Doctorates are also likely to satisfy one or more of the domains of the ‘by experience’ route to Fellowship, and one or two specific Postgraduate Certificates also contribute.

However, anyone holding the FFGDP(UK), FDS, FFD, FRACDS, FRCDC, FCD(SA), Board Certification from the American Board of General Dentistry, or who holds FCGDent(Hon.) or FFGDP(UK)(Hon.) and meets the standard requirements for admission, is automatically eligible for Fellowship by means of equivalence and need not apply by the ‘experience’ route.

Members who practise wholly overseas and are not registered with the UK’s General Dental Council pay a concessionary membership fee.

Full details of eligibility for each type of membership are available here. To upgrade, click the button below to select the membership you wish to apply for and to provide evidence of your relevant qualifications and experience.

upgrade membership

[1] Level 7 as defined in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, equivalent to Level 11 in Scotland

[2] 60 UK credits is the equivalent to 30 ECTS or 15 US credits

College of General Dentistry News

Supporting patients with oral healthcare advice – can you help?

CGDent is working with Haleon (formerly GSK), to explore the opportunities for enhancing oral healthcare advice through dental practices, and supporting those members of the team on the front line for advising patients and your communities.

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We are inviting interest from practices and teams around the UK that might be interested in hosting a focus group for an evening, early in 2024. It’s a great chance to spotlight the valuable work of team members and for them to contribute to a national project.

We aim for our focus groups to comprise 6-9 people, drawn from the host practice and others in your local area, that you might like to invite.

Sessions are expected to run in the evening for 1.5-2 hours, facilitated by our team. We only require a comfortable space for ten people, in a relaxed setting such as a reception room. We will bring the biscuits!

If you would like to contribute, please get in touch at [email protected] by Friday 17 November 2023. We cannot promise to take up every opportunity, but look forward to joining practices up and down the UK in developing this project.

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The College and Haleon are hosting a live webinar on Tuesday 30 November at 2pm (GMT) where we will share insights from our recent study on preventative oral care and provide information about the full research programme – register your place.

College of General Dentistry News

Leading for change: sustainability review published

The College has published Sustainability in dentistry: Leading for change, a scoping review to inform and engage the dental profession, industry, and wider oral health and dental care infrastructure on the environmental sustainability of practicing dentistry.

With the sub-title Environmentally sustainable dentistry to address the climate crisis, the review is organised thematically to provide an in-depth exploration of a wide range of factors such as legislation, health service emissions targets, prescribing, procurement, education and regulation, and makes recommendations for change that can be undertaken by each part of the system. It also presents case studies of exemplar efforts made to address the environmental impact of dental care and oral health services, and includes suggestions for further reading.

The review was written by a team of eight Clinical Fellows working at national dental organisations as part of the Chief Dental Officer for England’s Clinical Leadership Scheme, with input from expert contributors from academia, dental practice and government organisations.

Produced with the support of the Office of the Chief Dental Officer for England and the College of General Dentistry, it aims to inspire positive change by all those involved in the provision of oral healthcare related products, services and policy.

On behalf of the authors, Amarantha Fennell-Wells, Senior Clinical Policy Manager at the Office of the Chief Dental Officer England, said:

“Dental care creates a significant carbon footprint, and we owe it to current and future generations to contribute to emissions reduction by making our dental practice as environmentally sustainable as possible. Each practice and all staff can play their part in delivering sustainability in dentistry, and our review synthesises information which we hope will be educational and inspiring of collaboration to achieve a more sustainable future for the profession and dental patients.”

The document is freely available to download via a new College webpage which signposts a selection of free e-learning resources, guidelines and other tools which dental practitioners and practices can use to understand and reduce their environmental impact.

ACCESS SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY RESOURCES
College of General Dentistry News

Interviewees sought to help develop clinical risk assessment tool for GDPs

General dental practitioners are being sought to support research towards the development of a clinical risk assessment tool, and the College would like to encourage members to participate.

The research is part of the RADIANT project being conducted by a team at Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth, and aims to create and develop a practical, evidenced-based restorative dental risk assessment tool informed by input from clinical practitioners, rather than the classical single speciality approach.

The concept behind the new index is to objectively assess the risk of dental complications for the patient’s whole mouth, focussing on improving the accuracy and consensus between clinicians regarding diagnostic and prognostic decision-making. It is hoped that the availability of a robust risk assessment tool will then help clinicians to develop treatment plans, and will provide a common reference point to improve risk communication between clinical dentists, primarily general dental practitioners, and their patients.

The Principal Investigator, Dr Mark-Steven Howe FCGDent, is a general dental practitioner in Broadway, Worcestershire. He would like to interview about 12 general dental practitioners of varying experience over the coming months in order to incorporate their views and opinions on how they make clinical decisions into the development of the new tool.

Interviews will take place virtually and should take only 30-60 minutes.

If you would like to participate, or to request further information, please send an email with the subject line ‘RADIANT’ to [email protected]

GET INVOLVED
College of General Dentistry News

New sustainable dentistry resources hub

The College has published a new webpage bringing together resources which dental practitioners and practices can use to understand and reduce their environmental impact.

Sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, and for dental practices, this means minimising adverse effects on the environment and helping to conserve natural resources.

While this encompasses a wide range of factors, carbon emissions are a critical component, and with the UK government committed to reaching ‘net zero’ by 2050, NHS-contracted practices in England should be aware that since April 2023, every Integrated Care System now has a Green Plan as part of the NHS’s own net zero commitment.

Last year, the College co-hosted the webinar Sustainability in dentistry and healthcare, which looked at the effect of healthcare on climate change and discussed some of the practical aspects relevant to general dental practice. The recording is available free of charge to College members and provides 2¼ hours of certified CPD. 

Professor Paul Batchelor FCGDent, Dental Group Chair at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, also published the blog Sustainability: what is it and how can the dental sector contribute? on the College website, and recently delivered a College lecture on sustainability in dentistry.

In recent years, a number of organisations have developed free materials to support greater sustainability in dentistry, and the new webpage has been created to act as a hub with descriptions and links to a selection of resources encompassing learning, guidelines and tools for the practical implementation of change.

For those looking for an introduction to the topic, the page includes a link to NHS England’s e-Learning for Health Environmental sustainability in dentistry module, which takes only around 30 minutes to complete.

For those ready for further exploration, a link is provided to the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare’s How to Guide for Dental Practices. This includes sections on travel, equipment and supplies, energy, waste, biodiversity and green space, and measuring and embedding sustainability, as well as modelled examples and consideration of the ease and costs of implementation and the financial return on investment.

Similarly Green Impact, a UNESCO-recognised organisation working with the NHS, has developed an online toolkit which offers wide-ranging information and practical advice that dental teams can implement. NHS-contracted dental practices throughout the UK which are committed to implementing change can access support through Green Impact to achieve their sustainability objectives, and can choose to work towards bronze, silver or gold level accreditation. Registration links are provided on the new webpage.

The page also includes a link to the Clinical guidelines for environmental sustainability in dentistry, which were produced by Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Dental Officer for England earlier this year, and Sustainability in dentistry: Leading for change, a review which makes recommendations for change in each part of the dental system.

VISIT THE NEW SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY PAGE
College of General Dentistry News

New CGDent-GC Award offers aesthetic dentistry training to Foundation Dentists

The College and GC, in association with The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, have launched a new competition for Foundation Dentists and Vocational Trainees throughout the UK.

The inaugural CGDent-GC Award for Foundation Dentists, which promotes dentistry skills, is open to all those enrolled on a Foundation or Vocational Training Programme in 2023-24.

All eligible competition entrants will receive a free GC G-aenial A-CHORD Composite kit, worth in the region of £250, to use in their case treatment (while stocks last), and up to 14 winners will receive a fully-funded place on a composite layering course taking place over two days at the GC Europe Campus in Leuven, Belgium. The prize includes hotel accommodation, international travel expenses, meals and subsistence.

Entrants must submit an aesthetic case that they have treated during their Foundation/Vocational Training. The case must involve more than one tooth, including at least one anterior tooth, as well as the use of composite to restore teeth.

The award is now open, the closing date for entry is Friday 23 February 2024, and final cases must be submitted by Friday 5 April 2024. The winners will be announced in early June, and their course will take place on Thursday 11th & Friday 12th July 2024.

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

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational 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.

Speaking about the inaugural award, Professor Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, President Emeritus of the College, said:

“I am delighted that newly qualified colleagues will have the opportunity to enter the innovative CGDent-GC competition. By becoming entrants, it is hoped that a large number of FDs and VTs across the UK, in addition to having opportunity to work with a state-of-the-art composite system, will be encouraged to expand and develop their knowledge, skills and experience in aesthetic dentistry, to better serve the needs and expectations of their patients. The collaborative working between CGDent and GC, made possible by the generous support of the recently established Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, is to be warmly welcomed: hopefully the first of many different collaborations between the College and the dental industry to promote excellence in clinical care.”

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

“GC are honoured to partner with the College of General Dentistry and The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation to deliver this new prize for Foundation Dentists. GC have a proud history of delivering quality postgraduate education to the dental profession, and therefore we look forward to developing this partnership in the years to come.”

Dr Tom Bereznicki commented:

“I would like to thank the Trustees of The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, the College of General Dentistry and GC in helping to get this exciting project off the ground. I would also like to thank my long-standing friend from my undergraduate days in Edinburgh, the recently knighted Sir Nairn Wilson, for agreeing to be the Patron of the charity. This inaugural competition is the first of what we hope will be many other competitions in the near future.”

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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