Widening the Circle – ‘1992’ meetings now open to all retired members

The College has expanded eligibility to join its 1992 Circle to all fully retired members.

Cutler’s Hall, London; venue for the next 1992 Circle gathering

Created shortly after the inception of the College, the 1992 Circle initially brought together a dedicated group of retired College Fellows and past Fellows of the Faculty of General Dental Practice with a shared enthusiasm for the work of the College.

The group is named in honour of the year the FGDP(UK) was founded, a key moment which brought together the members of the College of General Dental Practitioners (UK) and the former RCS Advisory Board in General Dental Practice with the shared ambition to create an independent College over time.

More than 30 years later, the 1992 Circle 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 members’ significant experience to the work of the College today, the Circle promotes their continued standing in the profession in retirement and creates a sociable network of like-minded individuals.

Since its formation, the 1992 Circle has since held a series of gatherings prior to the College’s biannual Fellows’ Receptions, and its members have been involved in recording the histories of the formation of the FGDP and of FGDP qualifications, and in raising funds to secure the College’s Coat of Arms. The Circle has also fed into discussions on the ambitions and priorities for the future development of the College.

The College is now building on this by extending Circle membership to all fully retired members, with the aim of fostering continued close connections with and between our whole retired community.

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 – and there is no additional charge for membership of the 1992 Circle.

Circle 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.

Members of the 1992 Circle are invited, for their Winter 2025 gathering – the first since the expansion in membership – to attend a special reception marking the 50th issue of the Primary Dental Journal. This takes place on the afternoon of Thursday 30 January 2025 in London. There is no charge for this event, but prior registration via the button below is requested.

Circle members are also invited to join the online Annual Members’ Meeting on 4 March 2025, and will soon be invited to the inaugural College Lecture and the Fellows’ Summer Reception in Sheffield on 13 June 2025. Details will be circulated soon, and interest will also be gauged in holding a 1992 Circle Lunch the same day.

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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.

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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Fellows’ Summer Reception

***SAVE THE DATE***

Friday 13 June 2025, 5pm-8pm, Sheffield

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

The fourth annual College of General Dentistry Fellows’ Summer Reception will take place on the evening of Friday 13 June 2025 in the historic Cutlers’ Hall in Sheffield.

The event will include welcome addresses by the President and Chair of the College, the admission of new Fellows, presentation of the President’s Award and the announcement of the 2025 winner of the College Medal.

An opportunity to network with peers, as well as to meet College Trustees and members of the College Council and Faculty Boards, the reception will be open to all Fellows and Associate Fellows, with other eligible groups to be confirmed in due course.

Information on eligibility for Fellowship of the College (FCGDent) and Associate Fellowship (AssocFCGDent) is available here

Tickets for this event are not yet on sale; we will write to eligible individuals once registration is open

***SAVE THE DATE***

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

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Fellows’ Winter Reception

Thursday 30 January 2025, 6-9pm, London

The Livery Hall, Cutlers’ Hall, Warwick Lane, London EC4M 7BR

The College of General Dentistry 2025 Fellows’ Winter Reception will take place on the evening of Thursday 30 January in the historic Cutlers’ Hall in London.

The event will include a welcome by the Chair of the College, the first address to Fellows by the new President since taking up office, the admission of new Fellows and the presentation of College diplomas.

An opportunity to network with peers, as well as to meet College Trustees and members of the College Council and Faculty Boards, the reception will be open to all Fellows, Associate Fellows and those enrolled in Certified Membership.

Priority for tickets will be given to new Fellows as well as individuals who applied for the most recent Fellows’ Summer Reception but were unable to be accommodated.

Information on eligibility for Fellowship of the College (FCGDent) and Associate Fellowship (AssocFCGDent) is available here

Please note that this event will be preceded in the same venue by a reception to mark the impending 50th issue of the Primary Dental Journal, for which there are separate ticketing arrangements.

Fellows and Associate Fellows may also wish to take note that the next Fellows’ Summer Reception will take place on Friday 13 June 2025 in Sheffield.

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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Publication of qualifications on the Member Register

The College’s online Member Register, a public record of each current member’s membership number and grade, now has the additional facility to advertise members’ qualifications.

The new functionality has been developed following interest from members, who can now proudly display their educational and career achievements alongside their membership of the College.

Permitted inclusions are those postgraduate qualifications and professional accomplishments which contribute to eligibility for the individual’s grade of membership. Associate Fellows not yet qualifying for Fellowship may also display awards which are recognised in the criteria for individual Fellowship domains.

To have their qualifications displayed, members will need to follow the instructions below to upload them to their online account. Members who have previously uploaded their qualifications and awards for the purpose of providing evidence of eligibility for Full Membership, Associate Fellowship or Fellowship should note that these will not have been automatically added to the Member Register by the College unless they have joined or upgraded since December 2023. These members should also follow the instructions below, bypassing the third step.

Once validated by the College, details of qualifications and awards will then be displayed on the individual’s record. There is no charge for this service.

Members can link their personal record to their practice website or LinkedIn profile in order to demonstrate their professional standing, educational achievements and commitment to high standards.

Associate Members and Affiliate Members also appear on the Member Register but are not eligible to add postgraduate qualifications to their published entry. However, Associate Members may upload their postgraduate qualifications to their online account, and the College will be pleased to advise whether their qualifications provide, or contribute towards, eligibility for Full Membership, Associate Fellowship or Fellowship.

How to add your eligible qualifications to the Member Register

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 Evidence & qualifications

3. Click Add new record and fill in the details of your qualification or award. You will also need to upload the certificate or document in PDF format or an image of it as a JPEG file (in either case this must be under 3MB in size).

4. Click Save, and once you have added all your qualifications and awards in the same manner, tick the two confirmation boxes and click Submit.

Publication of your qualifications and/or awards will take place after validation by the College.

Qualifications permitted on the Member Register

The following awards are currently permitted on the Member Register:

All Full Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows
  • MJDF
  • MFDS
  • MFGDP(UK)
  • Diploma in General Dental Practice
  • Postgraduate Certificate(s) in a relevant subject
Associate Fellows and Fellows only
  • Accredited Full Membership of the British Association for Cosmetic Dentistry
  • CGDent Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics
  • Diploma in Postgraduate Dental Studies
  • Fellowship of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry
  • Fellowship of the Faculty of Dental Trainers of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
  • Fellowship of the Faculty of Medical Leadership & Management
  • Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
  • Fellowship of the International College of Dentists
  • FGDP(UK) Diploma in Implant Dentistry
  • FGDP(UK) Diploma in Minor Oral Surgery
  • FGDP(UK) Diploma in Orthodontics
  • FGDP(UK) Diploma in Primary Care Oral Surgery
  • FGDP(UK) Diploma in Restorative Dentistry
  • Law degree or LLM
  • Master’s level qualification(s) in a relevant subject
  • Membership in Advanced General Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
  • Membership in General Dental Surgery
  • Membership of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons
  • MPhil or PhD in a relevant subject
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education
  • Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma in a relevant legal subject
  • Postgraduate Diploma or Masters in a leadership and/or management subject
  • Postgraduate Diploma(s) in a relevant subject
  • RCS(Ed) Diploma in Implant Dentistry
  • Specialty Membership of a Royal College or Royal College faculty
Fellows only
  • Board Certification by the American Board of General Dentistry
  • Fellowship of the College of Dentistry of South Africa
  • Fellowship or Honorary Fellowship of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow or its Faculty of Dental Surgery
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland or its Faculty of Dentistry
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh or its Faculty of Dental Surgery
  • Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England or its Faculty of Dental Surgery
  • Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

Please note that to be accepted, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas and Master’s-level qualifications must be university-awarded or equivalent credentials at Level 7 as defined in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (equivalent to Level 11 in Scotland).

They must also provide, respectively, 60, 120 and 180 UK credits or their international equivalent – 60 UK credits is the equivalent to 30 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits or typically 15 US credits.

Awards from recognised UK higher education institutions and those of other member states of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) are recognised by default, however those submitting qualifications awarded by an institution outside of the EHEA will also 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).

The list of eligible awards may change from time to time as eligibility criteria for College membership grades are reviewed. College Fellowships in Dental Nursing, Dental Hygiene & Therapy and Dental Technology are currently being developed, and awards contributing to eligibility for these will be added to the list once determined.

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