College of General Dentistry Blog

My journey to College Fellowship: Fatimah Jawaid

Fatimah Jawaid FCGDent, a general dental practitioner based in Birmingham, describes her professional journey and how her experience led to Fellowship of the College.

Q. Can you tell us about yourself and your career?

A. I am a dedicated general dentist working in Edgbaston, Birmingham. I graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2012 with Distinction in Clinical Dentistry. I completed my FD year and went on to complete a further DCT year in Restorative Dentistry at Barts Dental Hospital, London. After this, I settled into an associate role in Birmingham, completed my MSc in Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics, PGCert in Dental Education and have recently completed my Implant Training. I am currently in the process of becoming a principal dentist and look forward to the new challenges ahead!

Outside of work, my main job is being mummy to Liyana (aged 5) and Layth (aged 3). We live in Moseley, Birmingham, with my husband, Sadiq, who is a currently a maxillofacial registrar. I enjoy going to the gym, travelling and exploring new cultures with my tribe in tow!

Q. Why did you decide to apply for Fellowship of the College?

A. I obtained College Fellowship (FCGDent) through the ‘Fellowship by experience’ route. I felt this achievement allowed me to demonstrate high standards in primary care dentistry and reflect the commitment I had put into my career since graduation. Upon researching the criteria, I realised that I was able to meet the domains and successfully achieve Fellowship.

Q. Which three of the five fellowship domains does your professional experience meet?

A. The three domains that I used for my Fellowship application were Clinical; Teaching, Learning & Assessment; and Publications & Research.

My Masters in Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics from Kings College London (2019) provided me with the evidence for the Clinical Domain as it had more than the required credits.

The final year dissertation allowed me to the achieve the Publications & Research Domain.

For the Teaching, Learning & Assessment Domain, I used my PGCert in Dental Education and I demonstrated that I had at least four years’ experience in a role as an Educational Supervisor for Foundation Dentists.

Q. What would you say to others who are considering applying for Fellowship through the experience route?

A. Still considering myself as a young dentist, I am excited to see the opportunities and ideas that are being undertaken within the College and how they will impact my future practicing career.

Having completed several challenging postgraduate courses, the recognition I received from the College, and being able to call myself a Fellow of the College at 31, felt very rewarding indeed!

Dental professionals can apply for admission to Fellowship of the College – the mark of accomplishment in dentistry – by two routes: Fellowship by Experience and Fellowship by Equivalence.

To apply for Fellowship by the Fellowship by Experience route, you will need to submit a CV and detailed evidence showing how you meet the eligibility criteria for three of the five fellowship domains. The domains are:

  1. Clinical
  2. Teaching, learning & assessment
  3. Leadership & management
  4. Publications & research
  5. Law & ethics

We have “Gateway” criteria which require less evidence and will be processed more quickly, if you meet all these requirements.

Full details about routes to Fellowship and how to apply are available here.

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College of General Dentistry News

Nominations open for Council elections

Nominations are now open for elections to six seats on the College Council, and all Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows of the College are invited to nominate themselves as candidates.

Nominations are sought for the following seats:

  • East of Scotland
  • National representative
  • Overseas representative
  • South East & South West Thames
  • Wessex & Oxford
  • West & North of Scotland

Candidates for regional seats must live or work within that region, and be registered with that region with CGDent. Candidates for the National seat must live or work in the UK, and have a registered UK address with CGDent. Candidates for the Overseas seat must practice dentistry wholly outside the UK, and have a registered overseas address with CGDent.

All eligible members as at 16 January 2025 have been emailed a link to the nominations website by the College’s election services provider, Mi-Voice. If you are interested in standing for election, you will need to complete the nomination process via that link, where you will be asked for further information, the names of two supporting members, and to submit an election statement.

Members may stand simultaneously for both the National seat and the regional seat for which they are eligible (if applicable) by submitting a separate nomination form for each seat.

Further information on the role, nomination requirements and the election timetable can be found via the button below.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The deadline for receipt of nominations is Sunday 16 February 2025.

If you think you might like to put yourself forward as a candidate and would like further information before deciding, we would be pleased to have a confidential discussion and to answer any questions you may have about the role and the process. Please get in touch via [email protected]

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College of General Dentistry News

Notice of elections

Elections will soon be held for six seats on the College Council, and eligible members are encouraged to consider standing.

The Council is the voice of our members.  Overseeing our role as a professional body and guiding Trustees on the development of the College to fulfil its mission, it includes representation based both on geographical region and professional role.

Nominations will be open on Friday 17 January 2025 to Sunday 16 February 2025. Following validation of nominations, voting will open from Wednesday 26 March 2025 and will close on Friday 2 May 2025, with the results announced later that month.

The role

As a Council member, you would provide leadership, strategic input and direction in all the professional affairs of the College. You would be helping to shape key moments in the College’s growth and could also get involved in specific initiatives on areas such as careers, policy and standards.

If elected, you would serve a three-year term from June 2025 – June 2028, during which you would be expected to attend three one-day, face-to-face meetings in June, October and February each year, as well as regular online meetings and occasional committees outside of business hours. Those elected will be expected to attend their first Council meeting on Friday 13 June 2025 in Sheffield, where they will be formally inducted.

You would also be expected to vote, and eligible to stand, in the annual election of up to two Vice Presidents; eligible to participate in the triennial appointment of a College President; and expected to attend College events around the UK.

You would be able to stand for re-election in 2028, and individuals may serve up to three elected terms (i.e. nine years) on the Council. The role is voluntary, but we do cover essential expenses. A role profile is available below.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Council seats for election in 2025

Nominations will be sought for the following seats:

  • East of Scotland
  • National representative
  • Overseas representative
  • South East & South West Thames
  • Wessex & Oxford
  • West & North of Scotland

Further seats on the Council will be due for election in 2026 and 2027 – see the College Council page for details.

Eligibility

All Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows of the College, regardless of dental team role, are eligible to nominate themselves as candidates for election to the Council in 2025.

Candidates for regional seats must live or work within that region, and be registered with that region with CGDent.

Candidates for the National seat must live or work in the UK, and have a registered UK address with CGDent.

Candidates for the Overseas seat must practice dentistry wholly outside the UK, and have a registered overseas address with CGDent.

Associate Members wishing to nominate themselves for election will need to have successfully completed an upgrade to Full Membership before submitting an application. Any non-members will first need to join the College as a Full Member. In either case, it is advised to allow at least two weeks for this process to complete.

College electoral regions

This map can be downloaded here

If you are unsure which College region you are in, check your entry on the Member Register

Nominations process

On Thursday 16 January 2025, all eligible members will be emailed a link to the nominations website by the College’s election services provider, Mi-Voice.

If you are interested in standing for election, you will need to complete the nomination process via that link (once received), where you will be asked for further information, and to submit an election statement.

You will also be required to provide the names of two supporters of your nomination. Your supporters must each be a Full Member, Associate Fellow or Fellow of the College within the constituency you are standing for. If you are unsure of the membership status or region of potential supporters, please consult our Member Register

If you think you might like to put yourself forward as a candidate and would like further information before deciding, we would be pleased to have a confidential discussion and answer any questions about the role and the process. Please get in touch via [email protected]

The deadline for submission of applications will be Sunday 16 February 2025.

Please note that the dates of the first Council meeting for newly-elected Council members and for the email to members from Mi-Voice have been changed since this item was first published.

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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

GET STARTED

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College of General Dentistry Event

1992 Circle Winter gathering

Thursday 30 January 2025, 4-5.30pm, London

The Court Room, Cutlers’ Hall, Warwick Lane, London EC4M 7BR

Members of the 1992 Circle are invited, for their Winter 2025 gathering, to attend a reception marking the impending 50th issue of the Primary Dental Journal.

The event, The Primary Dental Journal: celebrating 50 issues, will take place on the afternoon of Thursday 30 January 2025 in the Court Room of the historic Cutlers’ Hall in London – the same venue as previous 1992 Circle meetings.

This is an invitation-only event, and members of the 1992 Circle should have received an email inviting them to book their place (if you cannot see yours, please check your spam/junk folder). Space will be limited, so we will unfortunately not be able to accommodate guests on this occasion. Early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the reception to mark the Primary Dental Journal will be followed at 6pm by the College’s Fellows’ Winter Reception upstairs in the Livery Hall. This is a chargeable event with separate ticketing arrangements of which Circle members, as Fellows of the College, will also be notified by email.

About the 1992 Circle

A social forum for retired Fellows founded in 2022, the 1992 Circle is named in honour of the year the Faculty of General Dental Practice was founded, a key moment which brought together the members of the College of General Dental Practitioners (UK) and of the Advisory Board in General Dental Practice of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, with the shared ambition to create an independent College over time.

Membership of the 1992 Circle is open only to Fellows of the College who are fully retired from practice. Retired practitioners who were a Fellow of the Faculty of General Dental Practice and/or more recently were a Fellow of the College of General Dentistry are eligible to join or re-join the College as Fellows and then to join the 1992 Circle. There is no charge to join the Circle or attend its biannual gatherings.

If you meet the eligibility requirements and would like to join the 1992 Circle, we’d be delighted to hear from you – please contact us at [email protected]

And if you know any retired Faculty Fellows who are not currently aware of the Circle, please let them know about it and encourage them to get in touch with us.

JOIN THE 1992 CIRCLE

College of General Dentistry News

Report calls for improved provision of preventative oral healthcare

The College and Haleon have published a report on improving the provision of preventative oral healthcare.

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. The new report, The Dental Health Barometer, provides recommendations based on the experience and insight of general dental professionals on how to bridge the gap between intentions and practical delivery.

The underlying research began last year with a survey of 2,000 UK dental patients and over 500 dental professionals which highlighted inconsistencies in the provision of preventative oral healthcare advice. (A poster summarising those findings is available, as is a webinar examining them in more detail). This has since been built upon with rich discussions held with 77 oral health professionals, from all dental team roles, in focus group meetings hosted at eight general dental practices throughout the UK.

The most consistent finding is that oral health professionals seek redesigned NHS contracts to allow for more time and financial support in giving preventative oral care advice. The research also finds that the profession would like to see more resources devoted to providing nationwide preventative oral healthcare education, and a national communications campaign to tackle oral health misinformation.

The report highlights wider societal barriers to improving preventative oral care, such as competing social media narratives around oral health, diet and appearance; the erosion of long-term patient relationships; a continuing professional skew in some practices towards clinical treatments; and a tendency among non-dental health professionals not to deliver basic oral health messages.

Additional recommendations include:

  • Simplifying the government’s Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit to make it more user-friendly, and
  • The creation of a consumer-facing version of the Delivering Better Oral Health toolkit
  • Working with non-dental health professionals such as health visitors and midwives to inform them of the benefits of preventative oral care
  • Greater provision of CPD on the delivery of preventative care
  • Encouraging businesses to provide dental cover to employees
  • Celebrating team members such as dental hygienists in the mainstream media
  • Better use of digital communications such as apps and video streaming platforms

Roshni Karia MCGDent, President of the College, said:

“Our focus groups found that many dentists may feel that they are conducting a lonely battle against entrenched patient habits around oral health care, and doing so within NHS contracts which are unfavourable to providing adequate preventative advice. Our work with Haleon highlights the need to take action to support oral health professionals in a real time of need.”

Bas Vorsteveld, Vice President of Haleon and its General Manager for Great Britain and Ireland, commented:

“With a new Prime Minister in 10 Downing Street, our findings could not come at a more pivotal time for the future of dentistry in the UK. Working alongside the College of General Dentistry, we outline the key opportunities, our jointly developed solutions to safeguard the future of preventative oral care provisions for UK consumers and oral health professionals alike. We welcome the new Labour government’s plan to rescue the UK’s dental sector, but we urge them to go further and make NHS contracts fit for purpose by prioritising prevention. Only by working alongside the profession and industry can the new government make the step-change that UK dentistry clearly needs.”

Haleon, formerly the consumer healthcare division of GlaxoSmithKline, is the manufacturer of well-known oral health products such as Sensodyne, Corsodyl, Aquafresh, Poligrip, Biotene and Parodontax.

The College and Haleon will continue to work together to advocate for improvements in the provision of preventative oral healthcare.

The College and Haleon would like to thank all those College members who volunteered to host a focus group in their practice, and all the members, colleagues and patients who participated in the research.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

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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.

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 have recorded the history of the FGDP and 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 ([email protected]), for further information.

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College of General Dentistry News

MSc fast-track for Associate Fellows and Fellows

Fellows and Associate Fellows of the College are now eligible to enrol on a ‘top-up’ Master’s degree, which can be completed during a single year of part-time distance learning.

Holders of ‘FCGDent’ and ‘AssocFCGDent’ status can enter via advanced standing into Stage 3 of the MSc in General Dental Practice offered by Aston University, with their attainment recognised as equivalent to 90 credits of relevant prior learning at level 7.

The arrangement applies regardless of dental team role or location, so long as the applicant meets the university’s standard postgraduate admissions criteria.

The course consists of a 30-credit taught module in advanced research methods followed by a 60-credit individual research project pertaining to clinical dental practice.

The programme develops competence in research skills including development of hypotheses, research design, execution, data analysis and interpretation, critical evaluation of literature, understanding of ethical issues and reporting of an empirically-based project.

On completion of the taught component, students will be able to select and implement appropriate quantitative and qualitative techniques for different research questions and designs, and will know how to manage their time and resources when undertaking research independently. They will then develop a suitable research question for their topic of choice within the field of general dental practice and plan a programme of research.

Delivered by the Cambridge Academy of Postgraduate Dentistry, learning methods include online lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group activity, independent study, assignments and reflections on assignment feedback. Assessment will be through a combination of continuous assessment, logbook, research proposal, presentations and a dissertation.

Fellowship of the College requires a breadth and depth of knowledge, skills and experience fulfilling the requirements of at least three of five fellowship domains (clinical; teaching, learning & assessment; leadership & management; publications & research; and law & ethics). 

Associate Fellowship of the College acts as a stepping stone to Fellowship, and is open to any dental professional holding the MGDS, DPDS, a relevant and accredited Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma providing 120 UK credits, a Specialty Membership of a UK Faculty or certain CGDent/FGDP(UK)/RCS Edinburgh-issued diplomas. The majority of Associate Fellows will find that their qualifying award already fulfils the requirements of the clinical domain of Fellowship, and successful completion of the MSc in General Dental Practice would also satisfy the requirements of the research domain.

Aston University is the only provider in the UK offering students the opportunity to top up their existing dentistry qualification and convert it into a fully approved Master’s qualification. The next cohort of the MSc in General Dental Practice starts in September 2024.

For further information, or to register your interest, email [email protected], call 0121 204 3200, or click the button below.

FIND OUT MORE

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College of General Dentistry Recent event

London meet-and-greet

Friday 4 – Saturday 5 October 2024, 9.00am – 5.00pm, London

Hall N9, ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL

The College invited all dental professionals to visit its exhibition stand (F61) at Dentistry Show London 2024.

College members and non-members alike were encouraged to come and introduce themselves, to find out more about the College and have their queries answered.

Perhaps you have questions about your membership or how to access your benefits? Or want to know whether you’re eligible for Full Membership, Associate Fellowship or Fellowship? Or you wonder what Life Fellowship is, or how to add your qualifications to the Member Register?

Maybe you’re a former member of FGDP(UK) uncertain of your College status, or the correct way to present your Faculty post-nominals?

Or perhaps you’re a non-member who’s not yet heard much about the College and just wants to find out why we were set up, what our plans are or how we can help you in your career?

Whatever your query, senior College members and staff were there throughout the conference to help you out, and had live access to College systems to help solve membership queries on the spot.

Or even if you don’t have a query, we were be delighted to meet you!

The College was also an education partner for the Enhanced CPD Theatre, where it hosted four lectures.

Dentistry Show London gives you access to over 180 exhibitors and 4,000 fellow dental professionals, and also offers 100 CPD lectures. It’s FREE to attend for all registered dental professionals.

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College of General Dentistry News

Qualifications search functionality added to Member Register

The College’s online Register of Members & Fellows now includes new search functionality.

Members and other visitors to the website can now search in order to identify Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows of the College who have successfully achieved recognised postgraduate awards in particular areas of practice.

The new utility enables colleagues, employers and patients to identify those with significant education and training in specific fields of interest, either regionally or nationally, and to have confidence in the validity and credibility of an individual’s award.

To perform a search, go to the Member Register, click ‘By qualification‘ and enter the field of study for which you wish to identify qualified individuals. To narrow results down to one or more specific regions, click ‘By geography‘; otherwise leave this field blank. Then click Search.

TRY IT OUT

The Member Register exists to help members demonstrate their professional standing, and the facility to add qualifications was implemented earlier this year. Since then, hundreds of individual awards have been uploaded by members to their online accounts and added to the register.

Members who have not yet added their qualification(s) to the register are encouraged to do so. There is no charge for this service, and full details of what can be added and how to do so can be found here.

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