The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) is inviting all dental professionals to pre-register for membership ahead of its formal launch. Membership of the new College is currently restricted to members and fellows of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP), however all members of the dental professions will be able to join once the FGDP transfers into CGDent on 1 July, and can now pre-register their interest. The College of General Dentistry will be the UK's only professional body dedicated to general dental practice, and membership benefits will include postnominals reflecting career progression, exclusive CPD and events, regular copies of the Primary Dental Journal, and discounted subscription to Dental Protection, with further benefits expected soon. CGDent recently announced its membership structure, with Associate Membership available to all dental professionals who are registered with the General Dental Council or an overseas equivalent, including dental care professionals and newly qualified dentists. For Full Membership, which will entitle the holder to use the post-nominal designation ‘MCGDent’, a relevant postgraduate certificate-level qualification will be required, such as the MJDF, MFGDP, MFDS or DGDP. Associate Fellowship, with the post-nominal ‘AssocFCGDent’, will recognise a relevant postgraduate diploma-level qualification from one of the four surgical Royal Colleges of the UK and Ireland, including the MGDS, or a dentistry-related PgDip, MSc or PhD from a UK Higher Education institution. This will mark out those who have developed their practice to a high level, and act as a stepping stone to Fellowship of the College. Fellowship, the highest grade of membership, is described as ‘the hallmark of leadership and commitment to excellence in dentistry’ and will entitle the holder to use the post-nominal designation ‘FCGDent’. It will initially be open to those previously awarded Fellowship of FGDP, of one of the dental faculties of the Royal Colleges of the UK and Ireland, or of another recognised institution worldwide. Abhi Pal, recently elected as the final Dean of the FGDP, and who will become the first elected President of CGDent, said: "As the Faculty fulfils its historic destiny of becoming an independent College of General Dentistry, I invite all those in the general dental professions in all four nations of the UK to join us." Pre-register for membership of the College of General Dentistry at https://cgdent.uk/membership/. Membership fees are detailed here. Members of the FGDP who have not yet chosen whether to transfer their membership to the CGDent are requested to make their choice here. To find out more about what the College of General Dentistry will be doing to advance the general dental professions, and the benefits of membership, join its pre-launch webinar tonight at 7pm - register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EdwdwYO7TxG7BUTkoULSVQ. |
