Associate Fellows of the College of General Dentistry will soon begin being presented for ceremonial admission for the first time.
Associate Fellowship of the College recognises enhanced knowledge and skills, and demonstrates commitment to lifelong learning and the highest levels of patient care. Advancing their journey towards Fellowship, Associate Fellows are senior members of the College who are recognised as Enhanced Practitioners on the College’s Career Pathway, and their professional standing is marked with the use of the postnominals ‘AssocFCGDent’.
As part of the College’s Fellowship community, Associate Fellows have always been able to attend its biannual Fellows’ Receptions at which new Fellows are ceremonially admitted, but they have not previously benefitted from the opportunity to have their own achievements recognised in this way in front of their peers.
However at the forthcoming College Summer Reception, Associate Fellows will be presented for the first time by the President of the College in front of gathered members and Fellows of the College and the wider dental community. All Associate Fellows attending the College Summer Reception will be ceremonially admitted, and as presentees will benefit from a complimentary ticket to the event if they book their place by 30 April 2025.
Associate Fellowship is currently open to any dental professional holding the MGDS; DPDS; a relevant and accredited Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma providing 120 UK credits; a relevant Master’s degree or PhD; a Specialty Membership of a Royal College or Royal College Faculty; the FGDP(UK) or RCS Edinburgh Diploma in Implant Dentistry; the FGDP(UK) Diploma in Primary Care Oral Surgery or Diploma in Restorative Dentistry; or the CGDent Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics. Experienced-based routes to Associate Fellowship are also expected to be announced soon.
In addition to their standing, post-nominal recognition and eligibility to attend Fellows’ Receptions, Associate Fellows receive quarterly print issues of the Primary Dental Journal, a 5% reduction in their dental indemnity fees with Dental Protection, and are eligible to enrol on a ‘top-up’ MSc in General Dental Practice which can be completed during a single year of part-time distance learning.
The Summer Reception, an opportunity for dental professionals to network with their peers, will take place from 5pm-8pm on Friday 13 June 2025 at Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield. It is open to all dental professionals, and will be preceded in the same venue by the Inaugural College of General Dentistry Lecture.
Photographs of each presenting Associate Fellow being ceremonially admitted by the President will be made available shortly afterwards to download free of charge.
Anyone successfully completing an application to join the College as an Associate Fellow (or to upgrade their existing membership to become an Associate Fellow) before 30 April will be eligible for ceremonially admission at the Summer Reception and will therefore be able to book their reception ticket at no charge. It is advised to submit applications as soon as possible in order to allow enough time for admissions procedures to be completed.
To find out more about Associate Fellowship of the College, and to apply, visit https://cgdent.uk/associate-fellowship/
To secure your place at the College Summer Reception and/or College Lecture at ‘Early Bird’ rates, visit bit.ly/41slWKe
