The College of General Dentistry (CGDent), the UK’s only professional body dedicated to primary dental care, has opened its doors to all dental professionals.
Uniquely among the UK’s colleges, membership of the new organisation is now available to the whole dental team at all grades, dependent on an individual’s level of education and professional achievement.
To mark the realisation of this central ambition of its founders, the College is offering a two-thirds discount to dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental technicians and clinical dental technicians for their first year’s membership. Dental nurses and orthodontic therapists will also benefit from the discount on an ongoing basis, and dentists can receive discounted indemnity cover.
The College has also outlined its membership package, with members receiving:
- post-nominal recognition
- quarterly print copies of the Primary Dental Journal, CGDent’s themed, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to general dental practice, and online access to an archive of over 80 past issues
- 50 hours a year of live online CPD events covering guidance, standards and a range of topics of interest to the general dental team
- access to an online CPD library of over 900 hours of content
- heavily discounted access to study days
- an online Personal Development Planning tool
CGDent is also developing career pathways for the whole dental team, aligned to its membership structure, which will be launched in October.
All dental professionals who are registered with the General Dental Council or an overseas equivalent, or hold the BDS, LDS or an equivalent, qualify for ‘associate membership’ of the College. Those with a relevant postgraduate certificate, or who hold the DGDP, MJDF, MFGDP(UK) or MFDS, qualify for 'full membership’ (MCGDent), and those with a relevant postgraduate diploma or masters level qualification, or who hold the MGDS or a specialty membership of a UK dental faculty, qualify for ‘associate fellowship’ (AssocFCGDent). Fellowship (FCGDent) is currently open to existing fellows of a UK Royal College or overseas equivalent, with an assessed route planned shortly.
Standard annual membership fees start at £100 for associate members, rising to £430 for fellows. A concessionary rate of one third the standard fee applies to dental nurses and orthodontic therapists, to those who are retired, unemployed, in hardship or practising entirely outside the UK, and to those on maternity leave, on a career break, in full time education or unable to work due to long-term illness. Hygienists, therapists and technicians joining the College this year will also enjoy the concessionary rate in their first year.
Launching the new membership eligibility and benefits package, Abhi Pal, president of the College of General Dentistry, said, “At CGDent, we’re determined to offer professional development benefits which are affordable, relevant and accessible for all clinicians working in general dental practice. We’re also building long-needed career pathways for the whole dental team.
Practitioners of all types will find that our package of membership benefits already more than pays for itself, and further benefits are on the way. Whether you’re a dentist, hygienist, therapist, technician or nurse, we’re here to support your career.
For more information visit cgdent.uk/membership.