CGDent Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma in Restorative and Aesthetic Dentistry

Delivered by the College of General Dentistry

The start date for the next intake will be confirmed soon.

Register your interest here and one of our Course Leads will contact you with more information about the certificate and diploma programmes.

Restorative dentistry is a key skill for general dental practitioners, whether you are working in an NHS, private or mixed practice. Studying with the College will give you the advanced techniques and clinical expertise to offer an enhanced, contemporary service to your patients.

Our postgraduate certificate and diploma programme will enable you to deliver a recognised standard of restorative and aesthetic dentistry, providing you with a university-recognised qualification. The Diploma course will equip you with the skills of a Tier 2 or ‘enhanced’ practitioner.

We have been delivering this course for over 15 years (previously as FGDP(UK)), so whether you want to enhance and extend your current clinical skills; are looking for a gateway to progress to specialist training or to provide evidence for contracts to deliver a specialist service in restorative dentistry this course is for you.

What does the course cover?

Our programme teaches the latest techniques in restorative dentistry whilst embracing the importance of aesthetics and a minimally invasive approach. The programme is designed and run by renowned clinicians using evidence-based practice, so you can be assured that whether you are a recent foundation dentist or an established general dental practitioner, you will be able to immediately apply learning from the programme into your practice with confidence.

The Certificate year has a focus on both theory delivery and hands-on teaching, whereas the Diploma year concentrates more on hands-on delivery of knowledge and skills.

The Certificate year:

The Postgraduate Certificate in Restorative and Aesthetic Dentistry is a Level 7 course and is worth 60 credits. Taking you to an enhanced level of restorative dentistry, the course prepares you for progression on to the Postgraduate Diploma.

• 1.5 days induction (including minimally invasive dentistry)
• 2 days Periodontics
• 2 days Occlusion
• 1 day Endodontics
• 1 day Operative Dentistry

The Diploma year:

The Postgraduate Diploma in Restorative and Aesthetic Dentistry is a Level 7 course and is worth 120 credits. When complete, you will be equipped with skills of a Tier 2 or ‘enhanced’ practitioner.

• 2 days Periodontics (including surgical training on Pigs’ heads)
• 2 days Endodontics
• 2 days Fixed Prosthodontics
• 2 days Aesthetic and Direct Composite Placement
• 2 days Removable Prosthodontics
• 2 days Restoration of implants

How is the course delivered?

The full programme takes place over two years.

• Year 1 completes the Certificate qualification, with a focus on both delivering foundational theory and hands-on teaching
• Year 2 completes the Diploma qualification, concentrating more on the hands-on delivery of knowledge and skills.

In-person study days

You will attend a series of two-day study days that take place on scheduled Friday and Saturdays throughout the programme, for minimal time away from your practice.  All our study days are delivered by experts in that specific field and are designed to transform conceptual understanding into practitioner-based skills.

Small tutor group meetings

Study days are usually preceded the evening before by a tutor or mentor group meeting where you can discuss your specific restorative course cases as well as general dental topics in small groups of 4 or 5 students with 1 tutor.

Written assignments

In addition to learning through a range of study days, you will complete a set of written assignments set by your Course Leads, allowing you to acquire the most up-to-date evidence for your practice.

Your leads

Our programme is designed and run by renowned clinicians using evidence-based practice, so you can be assured that whether you are a recent foundation dentist or an established general dental practitioner you will be able to immediately apply learning from the programme into your practice with confidence.

The course is led by Nick Lewis and Phil Dawson who have over 50 years experience in dentistry and dental education.

The Programme Lead is Professor Mike Mulcahy, an ex-Dean of FGDP.

Next steps

To deliver the care and attention needed to reach the standard you deserve, we keep classes small, we only accept around 30 students per year.

Register your interest here and Phil, Mike or Nick will contact you with more information.