Introduction to Occlusion Symposium travels to Edinburgh

Following the success of the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium on 5 April in London, the symposium is travelling north and will take place on Saturday 1 November in Edinburgh.

Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, London

The comprehensive programme will remain the same and will be delivered by the panel of six renowned speakers who impressed delegates at the inaugural symposium in April. It is designed for early career dental professionals but all dental professionals are welcome to attend.

Members of the College are asked to share details of the symposium with friends and colleagues who may wish to attend.

The aim of the event, which has been organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation in conjunction with the College, is to enhance delegates’ understanding of the fundamentals of occlusion and how these principles can support the placement of successful, long-term restorations for patients presenting with tooth wear and other conditions.

Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, Chair of Trustees, Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, explains the move to Scotland:

We were delighted by the enthusiastic feedback we received from the London symposium which showed that many delegates had left the day with a much clearer understanding of occlusion and the treatment options available, and felt inspired to incorporate what they’d learnt into their practice. We wanted to ensure that colleagues in other parts of the country had the same opportunity to expand their knowledge of this important topic and the decision was made to repeat the symposium in Edinburgh with exactly the same programme and the same inspiring speakers.”

The opening lecture will be delivered by Dr Bereznicki, who will use real failure cases to illustrate what can happen if a patient’s occlusion is not assessed and treated.

Further lectures will then be delivered by Professor Paul Tipton, Dr Ken Harris, Dr Tif Qureshi, Dr Shiraz Khan and Dr Koray Feran.

Describing the programme, Dr Bereznicki said: “We will be focussing on the basic fundamental principles involved in occlusion, particularly the intraoral occlusal examination which is crucial in treatment planning.”

Alongside the programme of lectures, delegates who wish to develop their knowledge of occlusion further can visit a hand-picked selection of education stands to learn more about leading postgraduate courses available in this field.

To ensure the symposium is accessible to all, the fees have been set at £90 for early career practitioners who qualified between 2020 and 2025, and £110 for all other dental professionals. These fees include lunch.

You can find further information and secure your place by clicking the button below.

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, in collaboration with the College, is also hosting a symposium on 20 September 2025 in London. Dr Reena Wadia will deliver the morning session on the topic of pink aesthetics and in the afternoon, Dr Andy Toy will discuss the importance of occlusion in the successful provision of aligner therapy. You can find out more and book your place here.

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Building the right bite: occlusion and the successful delivery of aligner therapy

Dr Andy Toy FCGDent, a general dental practitioner and educator with a special interest in occlusion, highlights the fundamental link between occlusion and the long-term stability of aligner therapy.

Simply aligning a few anterior teeth can significantly alter a patient’s occlusion.  Whilst many patients seem to cope with their ‘new bite’, there are others who suffer from TMD, chronic pain or mobile teeth because of their aligner therapy.  There are also patients presenting with challenging occlusal problems that could be resolved with the right type of aligner orthodontics.  Every aligner case requires the dentist to understand how to diagnose, plan and finish their patients with a healthy functional occlusion.

I will be delivering a half-day lecture at the Perio-Occlusion Symposium on Saturday 20 September, to address issues like these. My presentation will provide a clear and simple approach to occlusion and clear aligner therapy based on over 40 years of learning and teaching. My aim is to help you:

  • Differentiate between easy and challenging aligner cases
  • Assess the patient’s TM Joint and occlusion and create a treatment plan to deliver a healthy, functional bite
  • Know how to finish and retain your aligner cases

Why is Cassie easier to treat than Jim?

If Cassie and Jim walked into your practice, in my experience most novice orthodontists would steer clear of Cassie and see Jim as an easy win.  Jim has mild crowding with some wear that’s crying out for your best bonding technique.  What a great Align-Bleach-Bond case!  Ker-ching!!  Cassie has more crowding and, even worse, an anterior open bite?  What a nightmare!

In fact, once you do a thorough assessment of TMJ function and occlusion, combined with discovering the patient’s wishes, you would find that Cassie is much easier to treat than Jim. 

Why is this?  Jim has an edge-to-edge occlusion on a class III base – these cases are often much more difficult than they first appear.  The challenge is creating enough overjet to give you space for your bonding and create a healthy envelope of function.  You will need to: a) create lots of space in the lower arch with inter-proximal reduction; and b) control the anchorage to maximise the lower anterior retraction. 

Cassie simply wants to align her teeth and isn’t bothered by her anterior open bite.  Comprehensive assessment of her TMJ and functional occlusion indicates that her bite is healthy.  She just needs some levelling and aligning.  Simple!

Correct biomechanics ensures successful aligner therapy  

Jeff is another class III case.  I used Invisalign Go™ (that is moving 5-5 only and up to 25 aligners) combined with class III elastics to support anchorage and we finished with a great looking result and healthy occlusion.  In fact, Jeff is easier to treat than Jim.  Can you see why?  It’s all down to how you assess a cross-bite.   Once you know how, it’s much easier to choose your winners and avoid creating an occlusal cripple.

Aligner therapy can eliminate occlusal dysfunction

Brenda is not too concerned about her appearance, but she is very worried about the pain she is experiencing and the possibility of losing her teeth.  She’s also in her 70s and not overly keen on dental treatment.

Brenda has multiple crossbites, tilted teeth and missing molars.  Where do you start?  My approach is: thorough assessment and diagnosis of her TMJ function and dynamic occlusion; careful planning of her Invisalign Comprehensive™ treatment; and a patient-centred consent process.  That way Brenda knows what the problem is, how we may treat it and what benefits and risks she may encounter as a result.  This gives Brenda the confidence to go ahead with the plan and enjoy a healthy, comfortable bite for the rest of her life.  Come along to the Symposium and I’ll show you how I used aligner biomechanics on Brenda’s case so that you can apply them on your own patients.

If you are able to attend the symposium, you’ll be better placed to avoid cases that are beyond your experience level; feel confident that the cases you do treat will have a healthy, functional bite; and sleep better at night. You can find out more and book your place here.

The Perio-Occlusion Symposium takes place on Saturday 20 September in London.

Click here for further details and to secure your place

Read our blog on Pink Aesthetics to find out more about the topics included in the morning lecture, delivered by Dr Reena Wadia.

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Booking opens for Perio-Occlusion Symposium

Dental professionals are invited to book their place at the Perio-Occlusion Symposium, which has been organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation in conjunction with the College. Members of the College are urged to share the details of the symposium with early career colleagues.

Lecture by Prof Paul Tipton at the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, April 2025

The symposium will take place on Saturday 20 September 2025 at the Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London and will focus on two aspects of aesthetic dentistry: ‘pink aesthetics’ and the role of occlusion in clear aligner therapy. In a change to previous announcements, lectures will be delivered by Dr Reena Wadia MCGDent and Dr Andy Toy FCGDent. Click for full speaker profiles.

Dr Reena Wadia

Dr Andy Toy

Dr Reena Wadia will present a range of clinical cases and examine the indications and steps of crown lengthening and gum recession surgery, reviewing the procedures currently available. Dr Andy Toy will focus on the steps involved in carrying out an occlusal examination and assessment to arrive at a suitable orthodontic treatment plan using aligner therapy, so as to ensure a healthy, functional occlusion and long-term stability of the treatment provided.

The symposium is designed for early career dental professionals and all dental professionals are welcome to attend. An accessible fee of £70 is available for those who qualified between 2020 to 2025*. For other dental professionals, the fee is £90. Delegates will receive 6 hours of verifiable CPD.

To increase awareness of this educational opportunity, members of the College are encouraged to pass on the details of the symposium to early career members in their team.

Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, Founder of the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, said:

Our new symposium in September highlights two aspects of aesthetic dentistry which are both equally fundamental in the provision of successful treatment but which tend to be less understood by early career dental professionals, due to lack of training or experience.

An increasing number of younger colleagues are becoming involved in digital smile design and the provision of relevant restorations and the aesthetics and positioning of a patient’s gingival tissues are a vital part of that delivery. The provision of clear aligner therapy has also become very popular with early career dentists but less well understood is that to ensure successful delivery of treatment, an initial occlusal examination should be carried out. For long-term stability of the desired aesthetics, the occlusion on completion should be refined – if this is not carried out, retention such as splinting is likely to fail, followed by relapse. The symposium programme is designed to address these issues and support the ongoing professional development of early career colleagues.

The Perio-Occlusion Symposium is the second in a series of symposia organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, in collaboration with the College. The Introduction to Occlusion Symposium took place in April this year, and received positive feedback from those who attended. One delegate described the day as “brilliant” and explained it covered treatments that “weren’t taught in university”.  Another said, “All the speakers spoke about occlusion in a comprehensive manner that I understood.

Following the success of the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, plans have been made to repeat the event in another part of the country to allow a greater number of early career colleagues to attend. The symposium will take place in Edinburgh and registration will be open soon.

The College is also delighted to collaborate with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation to host the CGDent-GC Award for Foundation Trainees, and the Tom Bereznicki Award for Advanced Aesthetic Dentistry, which provide successful candidates with fully-funded clinical training. Anyone wishing to keep up-to-date with these opportunities and other College activities, are encouraged to create a free online account to become a College Subscriber.

*dental professionals who qualify in 2025 but are not yet registered with the GDC may book a place at the symposium and provide their registration details once they have them.

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Why learning about occlusion is vital for early career dentists

Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, founder of the Tom Bereznicki Dental Educational Foundation, explains the importance of occlusion and why he is committed to educating younger colleagues on the topic.

The modern undergraduate curriculum allows very little time for occlusion to be covered as a topic. Through my experience of teaching younger dentists, I have noticed in recent years that when I ask what the clinical occlusal examination findings are, the reply often comes back with an orthodontic classification. Few early career dentists are aware of the importance of studying not just the static occlusion, but the dynamic one too.

In over 40 years of practice, I have seen many cases of occlusally-related failure, highlighting the vital importance of paying due consideration to the occlusal scheme in treatment planning. I am passionate about educating early career dentists and through my charitable foundation, I have organised a symposium on the topic of occlusion, in collaboration with the College, which aims to enhance delegates’ knowledge of the basic principles of occlusion and how they can support the success and longevity of restorative treatment.

With the odd exceptions such as anterior open bites and skeletal Class 3’s, patients’ occlusal schemes should adhere to the basic principles of occlusion, not just when providing complex multiple indirect restorations and treatment of wear cases, but also simpler single indirect restorations, and most importantly, the long-term maintenance of intact healthy dentitions.

The cases illustrated below draw attention to some common examples of occlusally-related failure.

To avoid occlusal derangement, the extracted tooth should have been replaced as soon after extraction as possible

Failure to investigate the crack when it first appeared – now the tooth needs to be extracted

Correct dynamic mandibular excursions when fitting fixed restorations to help prevent failure especially with cantilever designs

Missing the tell-tale signs of unwanted wear, seen here as wear facets, can lead to root fracture

Spotting early signs of unwanted occlusal wear helps prevent extensive treatment at a later date

Failure to check excursive mandibular excursions, especially when fitting restorations, can result in loss of canine guidance and restorative failure

In bruxers, veneer failure can also frequently be seen as fracture of the porcelain in the gingival third of the restoration

Over instrumentation during root canal therapy weakens the root making it susceptible to fracture particularly when acting as a cantilever abutment

Although titanium is extremely hard, it is not unbreakable. If occlusal forces are not refined, fracture or associated non-perimplantitis bone loss can lead to failure

I will be addressing occlusally-related failure cases like these in the opening session at the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium. I will be joined by a fantastic line-up of experts: Professor Paul Tipton, Dr Ken Harris, Dr Tif Qureshi, Dr Shiraz Khan and Dr Koray Feran. Through a series of lectures, they will examine the five basic principles of occlusion in detail and how they can support the placement of successful, long-term restorations.

Information will also be available on a range of postgraduate courses which cover aspects of occlusion in greater depth, for those who wish to extend their knowledge further.

The Introduction to Occlusion Symposium, takes place on Saturday 5 April 2025 in London.

Click for further information and to book your place

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Registration opens for Occlusion Symposium

Dentists are invited to book their place at the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists, which has been organised by the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation in conjunction with the College.

The Symposium is designed for dentists but others are welcome to attend. It is open to those who qualified in the UK or overseas between 2019 to 2023 and have been practising in the UK for at least the past two years.

Book your place here.

The event will take place on Saturday 5 April 2025 at the Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London. Six renowned speakers will deliver a series of lectures to enhance delegates’ understanding of the fundamentals of occlusion and how these principles can support the placement of successful, long-term restorations for patients presenting with tooth wear and other conditions.

Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, Founder of the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, explains why accessible postgraduate training on occlusion is essential:

“Occlusion is the cornerstone of everything that happens in your mouth and sometimes young dentists don’t appreciate that to maintain somebody’s healthy dentition you still have to consider their occlusion. You have to prevent wear which is very often occlusally-related. And when providing restorations, whether simple fillings, advanced multiple crowns, or indirect restorations which you want to last as predictably and as long as possible, if you don’t take the occlusal scheme into consideration then they are likely to fail prematurely.”

The opening lecture will be delivered by Dr Bereznicki, whose dental education charity also funds the CGDent-GC Award for Foundation Trainees, and the College’s new Award for Advanced Aesthetic Dentistry.

Further lectures will then be delivered by Professor Paul Tipton, Dr Ken Harris, Dr Tif Qureshi, Dr Shiraz Khan and Dr Koray Feran. Read speaker profiles.

Describing the programme, Dr Bereznicki said: “To cover the length and breadth of the subject of occlusion would in all probability take a week. In the time available we will try to deal with the basic fundamental principles involved, particularly the intraoral occlusal examination which is crucial in treatment planning.  In addition, examples of clinical success as well as occlusally-related failures will be covered.”

Alongside the programme of lectures, delegates who wish to develop their knowledge of occlusion further can visit a hand-picked selection of education stands to learn more about leading postgraduate courses available in this field.

To ensure the symposium is accessible to early career dentists, the fee has been set at an affordable rate of £75 and it takes place on a Saturday to avoid time away from clinic.

In this video, Dr Karina Kowalski, a Trustee of the Tom Bereznicki Foundation, asks Dr Bereznicki about the symposium and what delegates can expect.

You can find further information and secure your place by clicking the button below.

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation, in collaboration with the College, will hold a second symposium for early careers on the topic of perio-occlusion on 20 September 2025, with speakers Dr Reena Wadia MCGDent and Dr Raman Aulakh FCGDent. Dentists interested in attending can register to receive a notification when bookings open.

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Introduction to Occlusion Symposium: Edinburgh

To book your place, sign in or create a free subscriber account and then refresh this page.

Saturday 1 November 2025, 9am-5pm, Edinburgh

“I thoroughly enjoyed it, very important topic that’s not always fully understood!  All the speakers spoke about occlusion in a comprehensive manner that I understood.”

The secrets of successful, long-term restorations

A solid understanding of the principles of occlusion is crucial for the provision of successful, long-term restorative treatments for tooth wear and other conditions. This one-day symposium on the fundamentals of occlusion, first hosted in London in April, aims to enhance your knowledge in this field. You will leave the day with a deeper knowledge of the basic principles of occlusion and an introduction to a range of postgraduate courses you may wish to consider undertaking in order to extend your knowledge further.

Symposium fee

The fee includes lunch and refreshments.

  • £90 – early careers (qualified 2020-2025)
  • £110 – other dental professionals

Verifiable CPD: approx 6 hours

To book your place at the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium: Edinburgh, please sign in to your online account or create a new College Subscriber account for free and then refresh this page.

Topics not of interest to you? Please share details of the symposium with other members of your team

“The course changed how I look at occlusion completely. All speakers covered theory and real-life cases really well.”

Expert speakers

Programme

08:15-08:50 – Registration – refreshments

09:00-09:30 – Dr Tom Bereznicki > Welcome and introduction

09:30-11:00 – Prof Paul Tipton > Occlusal Disease and Treatment

11:00-11:30 – Refreshment break

11:30-13:00 – Dr Ken Harris > Deprogrammers and Analysis

13:00-14:00 – Lunch

14:00-15:15 – Dr Tif Qureshi & Dr Shiraz Khan > Anterior Restorations and Occlusion

15:15-15:45 – Refreshment break

15:45-16:45 – Dr Koray Feran > Dynamic Occlusion, Working and Non-Working

16:45-17:00 – Dr Tom Bereznicki > Occlusion and Implant Therapy

“It really opened my mind about occlusion and the treatment options we weren’t taught at university.”

Trade exhibition

You are invited to visit our trade exhibition and education stands in the breaks to find out more about high-quality postgraduate courses available to you.

Lunch and refreshments

A two-course lunch is provided and includes a choice of bowl food, including vegetarian, gluten free and halal options, a cake bar and drink. Tea, coffee and biscuits are provided throughout the event.

Prayer rooms

Separate male and female prayer rooms will be available. Please bring your own prayer mat.

Getting there

The venue address is: Lecture Theatre 4, Appleton Tower, The University of Edinburgh, 11 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE. Appleton Tower is in the Central Area South Campus of The University of Edinburgh.

The nearest railway station is Waverley Station and is approximately 15 minutes walk from the venue. The nearest carpark to Appleton Tower is Nicolson Square Car Park.

We look forward to seeing you there!

To book your place at the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium: Edinburgh, please sign in to your online account or create a new College Subscriber account for free and then refresh this page.

“We know exactly what the problems are that our colleagues have been having over the years with occlusion…we are going to change your lives!” Dr Koray Feran

Cancellation and refund policy

A full refund will be provided up to 14 days before the date of the symposium. No refund will be issued within 14 days of the event. If you would like to cancel your place and request a refund, please email us at [email protected]

No refund will be made for non-attendance.

Places are non-transferable to other events.

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Occlusion and perio symposia for early career dentists

The College of General Dentistry is delighted to partner with the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation to host a series of symposia for early career dentists on the topics of Occlusion and Perio. 

Carefully curated for early career dentists, the symposia will be open to dentists who qualified in the UK or overseas between 2019 and 2023 and have been practising in the UK for at least the past two years.

Introduction to Occlusion Symposium

The first of the symposia, Introduction to Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists, will take place on Saturday 5 April 2025 at the Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London.

A line-up of renowned speakers will deliver a series of lectures to enhance delegates’ understanding of the fundamentals of occlusion and how these principles can support the placement of successful, long-term restorations for patients presenting with tooth wear and other conditions.

The opening lecture will be delivered by Dr Tom Bereznicki FCGDent, a general dental practitioner with a special interest in restorative dentistry and founder of the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation. Dr Bereznicki’s presentation will be followed by sessions from Professor Paul Tipton FCGDent, Dr Ken Harris FCGDent, Dr Tif Qureshi FCGDent and Dr Shiraz Khan, and Dr Koray Feran FCGDent.

Perio-Occlusion Symposium

The second in the series of symposia for early career dentists will focus on the aesthetic aspects of perio and functional occlusal aspects post orthodontic treatment and will also take place at Kensington Conference and Events Centre in London on Saturday 20 September 2025.

The event will consist of two half-day sessions delivered by Dr Reena Wadia MCGDent, a Specialist Periodontist and founder of Perio School, and Dr Raman Aulakh FCGDent, a Specialist Orthodontist, Invisalign Platinum Elite Doctor and co-founder of Aligner Dental Academy.

Alongside the programme of lectures, delegates at either symposia who wish to develop their knowledge of occlusion or perio further, can visit a selection of education stands to learn more about leading postgraduate courses available in these fields.

To ensure the symposia are accessible to early career dentists, the fee for each event has been set at an affordable rate of £75 per symposium and they will each take place on a Saturday to avoid time away from clinic.

Tickets for the Introduction to Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists will be made available from January 2025. Bookings for the Perio-Occlusion Symposium for Early Career Dentists will open later next year, and as places are limited, dentists are advised to secure a ticket early to avoid disappointment.

Eligible dentists interested in attending either or both symposia, are urged to ‘save-the-dates’ and sign-up to receive a notification as soon as tickets go on sale.

The Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation supports educational initiatives for early career dentists and is working in conjunction with the College, and other collaborators, to provide a range of developmental opportunities for this cohort. Alongside the Introduction to Occlusion and the Perio-Occlusion Symposia, the Foundation funds the CGDent and GC Award for Foundation Trainees, which offers the chance to win fully-funded composite layering training in Belgium. An advanced aesthetic dentistry competition, which will provide each successful candidate with a fully-funded place on a hands-on digital dentistry course, is launching soon and other projects are also planned.

Subscribe to the College for free to receive our monthly newsletter and stay informed about all upcoming opportunities with the College and the Tom Bereznicki Charitable Educational Foundation.

Occlusion, Wear and Bruxism – How do we treat?

Tuesday 21 November 2023, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Birmingham

Fine Art Dental Studio, R/O 1 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8AR (car park at rear)

Speaker : Prof Paul Tipton FCGDent

This CGDent Midlands Study Evening will discuss the aetiologies of tooth wear including stress and bruxism and the influence that occlusion has on bruxism and wear.

The treatment modalities that will be shown include occlusal splint therapy, composite restorations to improve occlusion and ceramic partial and full mouth reconstructions dealing with treatment protocols for design and planning from diagnostic waxing to planning occlusal planes and OVD.

Specific emphasis will be placed on understanding the five principles of occlusion and establishing Class 3 leverage when restoring.

Aims & Objectives:

1. Treatment modalities, including occlusal splint therapy, composite restorations to improve occlusion and ceramic partial and full mouth reconstructions.

2. Dealing with treatment protocols for design and planning, from diagnostic waxing to planning occlusal planes and OVD.

3. A specific emphasis on understanding the five principles of occlusion and establishing Class 3 and not Class 2 leverage when restoring.

Professor Paul Tipton FCGDent

Professor Paul Tipton is an internationally acclaimed Specialist in Prosthodontics who has worked in private practice for more than 30 years. He is the founder of Tipton Training, one of the UK’s leading private dental training academies and the author of over one 100 scientific articles for the dental press. He gained his Master’s Degree in 1989 from the Eastman Dental Hospital and London University and started teaching at the University of Manchester’s MSc in Restorative Dentistry. He is now Professor of Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry at the City of London Dental School.

His private dental training academy, Tipton Training, was founded in 1991 and to date over 4000 dentists have completed a one year course at the Academy.

In 1992, Prof Tipton was awarded an honorary Diploma in General Dental Practice from the Royal College of Surgeons of England and was appointed a member of the British Dental Association’s Independent Practice Committee. In 1999, he was certified as a Specialist in Prosthodontics by the General Dental Council.

Prof Tipton is on the editorial board of Private Dentistry Magazine, The Journal of Indian Prosthodontics Society and Implant Dentistry and is a medical writer and part of the advisory board at Expert Beauty Magazine and ‘Woman’s’ magazine. He was a founding member and on the Board of Directors of the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is the past president of the British Academy of Implant Dentistry and is currently the President of the British Academy of Restorative Dentistry. He is a Fellow of the College and was recently elected Fellow of the International Academy of dental Facial Esthetics (IADFE) and Associate Fellow of the University of Warwick.

2 hours CPD

GCD development outcomes: C

Fee:

  • Current member of the College of General Dentistry: FREE
  • Non-member: £20

Membership of the College of General Dentistry is open to all registered dental professionals. Find out about our membership types and fees here.  

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