College of General Dentistry Recent event

Presentations of Associate Fellows and Fellows

Friday 13 June 2025, 5pm-8pm

Professor Sreenivas Koka FCGDent being ceremonially admitted into Fellowship by College President Dr Roshni Karia

The Old Banqueting Hall, Cutlers’ Hall, 7-15 Church St, Sheffield S1 1HG

Associate Fellows and Fellows of the College were invited to be presented for ceremonial admission into our Fellowship community by the President of the College, Dr Roshni Karia.

The presentations were incorporated within the College Summer Reception, and took place in front of gathered Fellows, Associate Fellows and members of the College, alumni of the former FGDP(UK) Diploma in Restorative Dentistry programme and other members of the dental professions.

This is the first time Associate Fellows had the opportunity to be presented, and all Associate Fellows attending the Summer Reception were ceremonially admitted and can attend the event free of charge if they booked their place by 30 April 2025.

New Fellows, and any College Fellow attending the Summer Reception who has not either been ceremonially admitted at a previous College Fellows’ Reception or had their fellowship of the former FGDP(UK) conferred at a Diplomates’ Day, were also be ceremonially admitted and can likewise attend the reception without charge if they book by 30 April 2025.

Photographs of each presenting Fellow and Associate Fellow being ceremonially admitted by the President will be made available shortly afterwards to download free of charge.

The Summer Reception was an opportunity for dental professionals to network with their peers and also included the presentation of the President’s Award and the announcement of the 2025 winner of the College Medal (tbc).

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE SUMMER RECEPTION

The Summer Reception was preceded in the same venue by the Inaugural College of General Dentistry Lecture, ‘Satisficing’ standards in dentistry: Who decides? Who benefits?. Delivered by Martin Kelleher FCGDent, Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at King’s College Dental Hospital, the lecture will build on the rich legacy of the former FGDP’s Malcolm Pendlebury Lectures. Registration on the day opened at 2pm, with the lecture starting promptly at 2.30pm and the event concluding at 4.30pm after Q&A/discussion.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE COLLEGE LECTURE

Members of the College were also welcome to attend the 1992 Circle Lunch, hosted by Sir Nairn Wilson CBE and the 1992 Circle, which took place prior to the College Lecture.

Associate Fellowship of the College recognises enhanced knowledge and skills, and demonstrates commitment to lifelong learning and the highest levels of patient care. Associate Fellows are senior members of the College who are advancing their journey towards Fellowship. Recognised as Enhanced Practitioners on the College’s Career Pathway, their professional standing is marked with the use of the postnominals ‘AssocFCGDent’.

Associate Fellowship is currently open to those holding an eligible Postgraduate Diploma or Masters level qualification in a relevant subject.

BECOME AN ASSOCIATE FELLOW

Fellowship is the most senior membership of the College; a mark of distinction across clinical and professional domains, and of significant commitment to the art and science of dentistry through professional development, reflective practice and diligence in upholding the highest standards of clinical care. Recognised as Accomplished Practitioners on the College’s Career Pathway, the professional standing of College Fellows is signified through the use of the postnominals ‘FCGDent’.

Admittance to Fellowship can be achieved by experience or by equivalence.

BECOME A FELLOW

Anyone successfully completing an application to join the College as an Associate Fellow or Fellow (or to upgrade their existing membership to become an Associate Fellow or Fellow) before 30 April had the opportunity to be ceremonially admitted at the Summer Reception and could therefore book their reception ticket at no charge.

It was advised to submit applications as soon as possible in order to allow enough time for admissions procedures to be completed.

Prices were as follows:

Lecture onlyReception onlyLecture & Reception
Associate Fellow or presenting Fellow£20 £15£55 FREE£65 £15
Member or Fellow£20 £15£55 £40£65 £50
Non-member£30 £20£75 £60£95 £70

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College of General Dentistry Recent event

Diploma in Restorative Dentistry alumni gathering

Friday 13 June 2025, 2pm-8pm

Candidates awaiting conferral of awards by the former FGDP(UK) at a Diplomates’ Day

The Old Banqueting Hall, Cutlers’ Hall, 7-15 Church St, Sheffield S1 1HG

Alumni and tutors of the Diploma in Restorative Dentistry of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP) were invited to a special gathering marking 20 years of the landmark programme, raising standards and building a strong professional community.

We were delighted that past Directors & Chief Examiners of the programme joined us, including Ian Wood FCGDent, Paul Brunton, Mike Mulcahy FCGDent, Nick Lewis FCGDent, Phil Dawson FCGDent and David Cheshire.

Alumni and tutors were encouraged to pass on this invitation to the reunion to others who were involved in the programme; we did not want anyone to miss out.

The special gathering was incorporated within both the Inaugural College of General Dentistry Lecture and a College Summer Reception. Members of the College were welcome to attend the 1992 Circle Lunch, hosted by Sir Nairn Wilson CBE and the 1992 Circle, which took place prior to the College Lecture.

The lecture, ‘Satisficing’ standards in dentistry: Who decides? Who benefits?, was delivered by Martin Kelleher FCGDent, Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at King’s College Dental Hospital. Taking place on Friday 13 June 2025 in the historic Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield, it built on the rich legacy of the FGDP’s Malcolm Pendlebury Lectures. Registration on the day opened at 2pm, with the lecture starting promptly at 2.30pm and the event concluding at 4.30pm after Q&A/discussion.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE COLLEGE LECTURE

The Summer Reception followed from 5pm to 8pm, with registration from 4.30pm. Incorporating the fourth annual College Fellows’ Summer Reception, this was an opportunity for dental professionals to network with their peers and will include the ceremonial admission of new Fellows and Associate Fellows, the presentation of the President’s Award and the announcement of the 2025 winner of the College Medal (tbc). There was an opportunity for a range of alumni photos and photos with other guests, all of which will be made available to attendees shortly afterwards to download free of charge.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE SUMMER RECEPTION

The FGDP(UK) Diploma in Restorative Dentistry brings automatic eligibility for Associate Fellowship of the College and also satisfies the Clinical Domain of Fellowship, and alumni are encouraged to join the College in order to support its historic mission to build a Royal College for dentistry.

Anyone successfully completing an application to join the College as an Associate Fellow or Fellow (or to upgrade their existing membership to become an Associate Fellow or Fellow) before 30 April had the opportunity to be ceremonially admitted at the Summer Reception and could book their reception ticket at no charge.

Prices were otherwise as follows:

Lecture onlyReception onlyLecture & Reception
Member or Fellow£20 £15£55 £40£65 £50
Non-member£30 £20£75 £60£95 £70

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College of General Dentistry Recent event

Progressing your career in implant dentistry

Saturday 17 May 2025, 3.45pm-4.30pm, Birmingham

Enhanced CPD Theatre, Hall 5, National Exhibition Centre, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT

This lecture will describe a progression which the College is developing, from new practitioner in the field to recognised mentor, through which implant dentists can develop their careers and gain recognition for the skills, knowledge and experience acquired at each stage.

It will be delivered by Dr Abhi Pal FCGDent, Principal of The University Dental and Implant Centre in Birmingham, editor of the College’s Training Standards in Implant Dentistry, co-editor of its Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines, and formerly President of the College and member of its Career Pathways Reference Group.

Free to attend for both members and non-members of the College, it is one of four College sessions at the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2025 (BDCDS25), a two-day conference hosting over 200 CPD lectures, 400 exhibitors and 10,000 dental professionals.

College representatives will be available throughout the conference at Stand Q01 to talk to delegates about our vision for the profession, the benefits of membership and fellowship, and to answer questions.

It is not possible to register for specific lectures in advance, but those wishing to attend need to register for BDCDS25 either in advance or on the day. Registration is free for all dental professionals.

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College of General Dentistry Recent event

Birmingham meet-and-greet

Friday 16 May (9am-5.30pm) & Saturday 17 May 2025 (9am-5pm), Birmingham

Hall 5, National Exhibition Centre, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT

The College invites all dental professionals to visit its exhibition stand (Q01) at British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show 2025

College members and non-members alike are 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 how to download your membership certificate, 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 will be there throughout the conference to help you out, and we’ll have live access to our systems to help solve membership queries on the spot.

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

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

The British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show is the UK’s largest dental event, giving you access to 400 exhibitors and 10,000 fellow dental professionals, and offering 200 lectures across 11 CPD theatres.

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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 Recent 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 were invited, for their Winter 2025 gathering, to attend a special reception marking the impending 50th issue of the Primary Dental Journal.

The event, The Primary Dental Journal: celebrating 50 issues, took 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.

There was no charge for this event but prior registration was requested.

About the 1992 Circle

The 1992 Circle aims to foster continued close connections with and between our whole retired community, and comprises all College members who are fully retired from practice.

Named in honour of the year the FGDP(UK) was founded, it celebrates the vision of those who put the general dental profession in the UK on a journey towards independent collegiate status.

Bringing the benefit of our retired members’ experience to the work of the College today, the Circle promotes their continued standing in the profession and creates a sociable network of like-minded individuals.

There is no additional charge for membership of the 1992 Circle, and members receive special invitations to College events, as well as periodic updates from its Convenor, Sir Nairn Wilson CBE, and information on the events and activities of the Lindsay Society for the History of Dentistry.

All members of the College who are already fully retired from practice have now been enrolled in the 1992 Circle, and College members who are currently in practice will be enrolled once fully retired.

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 who are Fellows or Associate Fellows of the College will have been notified by email.

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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.

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