College of General Dentistry News

Trustee Board changes

Marie Parker and Jane Clarke have been appointed as Trustees of the College. They are the third and fourth new Trustees appointed since the College opened its doors to members in 2021, with Fred Thomson and Onkar Dhanoya having been appointed in 2022.

(l-r) Marie Parker, Onkar Dhanoya, Jane Clarke and Fred Thomson, Trustees of the College of General Dentistry

Marie Parker FCGDent is the Deputy Programme Director of Hygiene and Therapy at University College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust London.  Since qualifying as a dental nurse, she has worked in various areas of dentistry and completed a number of leadership and management qualifications, as well as a Master’s in Education. An advocate and promoter of dental nursing careers, and of improving the accessibility of education and training for all registered dental care professionals, she has been involved in the training and education of dental nurses and other members of the dental team throughout most of her career.  She is a past Chair and Trustee of the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses, and Co-chair of the Dental Trailblazers group.

Dr Onkar Dhanoya FCGDent has been Principal Dentist at Honour Health, a mixed NHS-and-private dental group, since 1986, providing treatments including dental implants, facial aesthetics and orthodontics at its three practices across the North East of England. He graduated from Newcastle University in 1985, is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and represented the Yorkshire and Northern region on the FGDP National Board, and later on the CGDent Council, from 2014-22. Chair of North Tyne LDC, and past President of the BDA’s Northern Counties branch, he has been a clinical teacher at Newcastle Dental Hospital since 1995 and a Director of Dental Protection since 2019. He served two terms as Vice Dean of the FGDP, was an MJDF examiner for ten years, and chaired the FGDP’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Programme Board.

Jane Clarke is a governance specialist in the professional body and not-for-profit sectors, and since retiring in 2020 has been appointed a Director of Landscape Services, Trustee of the Landscape Institute, and an Independent Person for a group of borough councils in Surrey. Previously she was Director of Governance Support and Group Secretary at the Royal College of Nursing; Company Secretary of its commercial subsidiary, RCNi; and a Founder of the RCN Foundation. From 1995-2006 she worked for the National Trust as Assistant Director for Committee Services and Administration, Deputy Secretary then Secretary, and prior to that she enjoyed a seventeen-year career at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, where her posts included Head of the Executive Office and Director of Policy Coordination.

Fred Thomson is a solicitor specialising in procurement law. After graduating in computing, he became an IT systems engineer and consultant and programme manager, later completing a Bachelor’s in Law and Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. He also holds an MSc in Engineering and Management, an LLM and a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management, and is a Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Fellow of both the Institution of Analysts and Programmers and the Institute of Leadership, and a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. An officer in the Royal Naval Reserve for over 20 years, he holds the rank of Commander. He was also a mentor for the charity IntoUniversity, which helps young people achieve the best results they can in accessing higher education.

Members of the Board of Trustees, who serve three-year terms of office, are accountable for the fulfilment of the College’s legal and regulatory duties as a charity, and for ensuring the proper running of the organisation.

The other members of the Trustee Board are Dr Mick Horton FCGDent, former Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK, who has served since 2017 and became Chair earlier this year; Dr Janet Clarke MBE FCGDent, former Deputy Chief Dental Officer for England, who joined the Board in 2019 and served as Chair from 2020-23; and Neil Sawbridge, an experienced banking and leasing Chief Financial Officer who has been an independent Trustee since 2017.

The new appointees have succeeded Dr Kevin Lewis FCGDent, former Dental Director at Dental Protection, who served on the Board from 2017-22 and is now a College Ambassador; fellow former dental Trustee Professor Liz Kay MBE FCGDent, Foundation Dean and Emeritus Professor at Peninsula Dental School (2019-22); Kate Gregory, a legal consultant and qualified litigator (2019-22); and fellow former independent Trustee Lesley Pan, who specialises in building and developing charitable enterprises (2019-23).

Other former members of the Board include Professor Sir Nairn Wilson CBE FCGDent, Past President of the British Dental Association and Honorary Founding President of the College, who served as Chair from 2017-20; Dr Ian Mills FCGDent, former Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK, who was a Trustee from 2018-21; and Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Pharmaceutical Council, who served from 2017-19.

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College of General Dentistry News

Retiring this year?

If you are planning to discontinue your GDC registration at the end of the year, you can maintain a link with dentistry by staying a member of the College.

Retired members enjoy the same benefits, rights and privileges of the College as practising members, but enjoy a fee discount of up to 66% from their next renewal.

If you retire as an Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College, or are eligible to upgrade to one of these statuses, you will be eligible to attend our biannual Fellows’ Receptions.

If a Fellow and 65 years of age or older, you will also be eligible to become a Life Fellow of the College for a one-off payment, which the College can treat as a donation (and, with your approval, add to it with Gift Aid).

It is also anticipated that retired members will provide a rich resource of mentors for early career colleagues through the College’s Certified Membership programme.

Retired Fellows of CGDent or the former FGDP are also eligible to join the 1992 Circle, which is named to commemorate the formation of the FGDP and gathers informally twice a year before Fellows’ Receptions, at no further cost. This provides the opportunity to maintain some professional standing and status throughout your retirement, and to support the further growth and development of the College – for example, Circle members are working to record the history of the FGDP and have spearheaded fundraising to support the College’s application for a Coat of Arms. Circle members also receive information on the events and activities of the Lindsay Society for the history of dentistry.

Retiring and retired members are invited to contact Sir Nairn Wilson CBE at [email protected], for further information.

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College of General Dentistry News

New research reveals the missed opportunity of preventative oral care

World leading consumer health company Haleon, in conjunction with the College, has launched the ‘Dental Health Barometer’ to provide insights into the role of preventative oral healthcare in the UK.

Preventative care is defined as proactive dental care and advice that helps a patient to take action to maintain a healthy mouth, protecting against tooth decay, gum disease and more serious issues such as tooth loss and negative impacts on general health.

However, the survey of UK consumers and dental health professionals reveals that preventative oral care advice is not being offered consistently to patients. That’s despite a high incidence of tooth decay – with 70,000 people treated in UK emergency departments for the disease last year alone[1]. Just one third (34%) of oral health professionals said they always offer preventative care advice to patients, while one in four (25%) patients said they weren’t given preventative advice during their last dental appointment.

Over half (59%) of oral health professionals said that they are more likely to offer preventative advice for private patients than NHS patients, and over a third (37%) of NHS oral health professionals cited time constraints as the top reason for not being able to routinely offer preventative care advice, as opposed to just 15% of private oral health professionals. Though we know oral health professionals are working hard during a time of unprecedented pressure on the UK dental landscape, these figures come as little surprise given the widely reported ‘dental deserts’ where some areas of the UK have over 3,000 patients for every NHS dentist[2].

Additionally, oral health professionals differed on the preventative advice they would recommend to patients. While half (50%) said advice on additional oral hygiene products and brushing techniques were key, only 2 in 5 (41%) pointed to advice on diet as preventative care and just over a third (34%) would consider advice on caring for gums to be preventative advice.

Bas Vorsteveld, General Manager GBI, Haleon, said: “We know that oral health professionals are facing huge pressures, and we want to help support them to be able to provide better preventative advice – not just during routine dental appointments, but outside of appointments too. Our findings revealed preventative care advice is not always offered consistently, despite patients and dentists understanding its importance. We remain committed to addressing these issues and will look to develop new initiatives to support dental professionals.

“These will form alongside our existing initiatives which include providing educational materials to healthcare professionals, continuing to innovate and provide therapeutic oral care for patient issues at home and through campaigns like Shine Bright which raises awareness in children of the prevention of oral health conditions.”

The importance of preventative care

Nearly half (49%) of the UK public think preventative care for oral health is very important with over half (54%) of consumers saying they would prefer to receive preventative care advice for their oral health from their dentist. Meanwhile, the majority (87%) of oral health professionals think that preventative action is beneficial and aim to provide it proactively.

Confusion over the availability of preventative care on the NHS

However, there is a lack of understanding across consumers and oral health professionals over whether preventative care is routinely available on the NHS. Almost half (48%) of consumers said preventative oral healthcare advice is offered on the NHS, and over a third (34%) were unsure. Oral health professionals were more aware, with 74% saying preventative oral healthcare advice is offered on the NHS. Once again, younger dentists are more aware that preventative care advice should be routinely available on the NHS.

The importance of preventative care has already been acknowledged by the Department of Health, through the roll out of the Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit, which was updated in 2021. This aims to provide best practice guidance on routine preventative care. It is encouraging that over a quarter (76%) of oral health professionals surveyed were aware of this toolkit. Younger dentists are more likely to be aware of it, with 82% aged 23-34 were aware compared to 58% of dental health professionals aged 45 – 54.

Dr. Kate Fabrikant, Medical Affairs Director, Northern Europe, Haleon, further supports this: “Working in the industry, we must find ways to support the availability and accessibility of preventative oral care for all. We will continue to support dental professionals in facilitating behavioural change towards better oral health in their patients, whilst improving health literacy of the patients to seek out and engage in preventative care, to help them practice better everyday self-care and avoid longer term dental issues.  There is a long road to travel to normalise healthy smiles in society, and it will take professionals, industry and policy makers coming together to get to this end goal.”

Consumers are open to preventative advice, but guidance is needed

The study found patients have a strong level of trust in advice given by their dentist. Where it is offered, 9 in 10 (88%) found the advice helpful. The study found that NHS patients, younger people and men were less likely to proactively ask for preventative care advice.

Dr Abhi Pal, President at the College of General Dentistry said: “We are committed to quality and standards of excellence in general practice dentistry – helping professionals to do the best for their patients. The research revealed some fascinating insights into the role that preventative care plays in the UK. It’s quite properly a mainstay of both private and NHS appointments, and we support any initiative that promotes prevention.”

Regional split

The Barometer also found that there were regional discrepancies between both patients and oral health professionals. It was found that:

  • Only 40% of consumer respondents from Greater London think that preventative care is very important for oral health compared to over half (55%) in Northern Ireland and South West England.
  • Respondents from Greater London also were less likely to have received advice, with only 37% having encountered preventative care advice compared to over half of respondents (55%) in the South East and nearly half (47%) in the North East.
  • Over half (55%) of respondents in Wales said thinking back to their most recent trip to an oral health professional, they received preventative care advice verbally from them,
    • compared to 50% of those in Scotland,
    • 48% of those in England,
    • And under 2 in 5 (37%) in Northern Ireland
  • Northern Ireland have recalled a particularly low level of preventative care during dentist visits – with only slightly over a third of respondents (37%) having received advise at their last appointment. Despite this, the respondents from the region were some of the most interested in learning about preventative advice (53%) compared to (36%) of East England, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber who were less interested.
  • The East of England saw the lowest level of detail from their oral health professional on preventative care advice, with only 30% feeling their dentist provided a lot of detail.

A poster depicting the key findings of the research is available to download here.

[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/23/tooth-decay-patients-ae-nhs-dentist-shortage/

[2] https://www.libdems.org.uk/press/release/rise-in-dental-deserts-leaves-millions-struggling-to-get-nhs-dentist-appointment

In order to unlock insights from the study, the College and Haleon hosted a live webinar on 30 November 2023. A recording of the webinar is available to view below.

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College of General Dentistry News

College engages the next generation of dental professionals

As part of a new initiative to raise awareness of its mission to dental students and early career professionals, the College held its first ‘NextGen’ event on Saturday 25 November 2023.

The CGDent NextGen Leadership Workshop, which took place in Manchester, was open to students on the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, BSc or DipHE Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy, BSc Clinical Dental Technology and BSc Dental Studies courses at the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool, the University of Birmingham and the University of Central Lancashire, as well as Foundation Dentists and Foundation Dental Therapists in the North West region.

Successful applicants were awarded a fully funded place at the one-day workshop, which explored the skills required for effective leadership in dentistry, through a series of talks, workshops and discussion. The day focused on the five competencies in the Agency Domain of the College’s Professional Framework for Career Pathways in Dentistry: autonomy, decision-making, influence, leadership and management.

Supported by five College facilitators, the delegates were encouraged to examine the key leadership skills and consider how they could develop them through short-term, medium-term and long-term goals.

Christy, a BDS student at the University of Birmingham who took part in the day, said: “…it was great to meet the facilitators and other students there. Everyone was so welcoming, and the talks and activities were easily accessible – no matter what stage or area of dentistry we were in. I’ve learnt multiple ways to develop my skill set, information about the College of General Dentistry and thoroughly look forward to future events!”

Many of those who attended the workshop have become NextGen Ambassadors for the College, with the aim of raising awareness within their communities of CGDent’s mission and of the career support it offers to dental professionals.

The College wishes to thank the students and Foundation Trainees who enthusiastically took part in the day; the workshop facilitators who generously gave their time and expertise (Phillip Brown, Poppy Dunton, Roshni Karia, Abhi Pal and Sir Nairn Wilson); and the University of Manchester, University of Liverpool, University of Birmingham, University of Central Lancashire and Health Education North West for their support.

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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.