Faculty of General Dental Practice
Encyclopedia
History
The FGDP was formed in 1992 as the academic home for general dental practitioners. It opened its membership up to Dental Care Professionals (DCPs) in 2005, and now supports the whole dental team. As of March 2011 there are approximately 4500 members of the FGDP(UK). The FGDP(UK) is based at the Royal College of Surgeons of EnglandRoyal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
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Aims
The core purpose of the FGDP(UK) is to improve standards of patient care. It attempts to achieve this by leading, supporting and providing standards for all members of the primary care dental team throughout their careers in all matters relating to their clinical practice.Education
The Faculty is involved in aspects of dental care in general practice and primary dental care centres in general, it runs courses for training and continuous development of dentist and dental professionals.The FGDP(UK)'s courses include:
- MJDF (jointly with the Faculty of Dental SurgeryFaculty of Dental SurgeryThe Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England was established in 1947.There are two other Faculties of Dental Surgery in the UK, one based at The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the other a part of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowThere is...
) - Postgraduate Diploma in Implant Dentistry
- Postgraduate Diploma in Restorative Dentistry
- Postgraduate Diploma in Primary Care Orthodontics
- Postgraduate Diploma in Dental Health Services Leadership and Management
- Postgraduate Certificate in Appraisal of Dental Practices
- Postgraduate Certificate in Mentoring in Dentistry
- MSc in Primary Dental Care
- Masterclass in Facial Aesthetics
Books and Publications
The FGDP(UK)publishes two quarterly journals- Primary Dental Care. The only peer reviewed research journal in the world to be solely focused on primary care dentistry
- Team in Practice. Covering topics of relevance to the whole dental team.
Many standards in dentistry are set by Faculty. Based on these standards, the FGDP(UK) publishes a range of Standards books for UK dentistry. These include:
- Adult Antimicrobial Prescribing in Primary Dental Care for General Dental Practitioners
- Clinical Examination and Record-Keeping: Good Practice Guidelines
- Guidance for the Management of Natural Rubber Latex Allergy
- Selection Criteria for Dental Radiography
- Standards in Dentistry
Career Pathway
All dentist members of the FGDP(UK) may register for the Career Pathway. The FGDP(UK) Career Pathway is a career development framework, providing a focus for postgraduate professional development of primary care dentists and a route to Fellowship of the Faculty (FFGDP(UK)).Dental practitioners progress through the three stages of the Pathway by transferring credits from their postgraduate education and training.
Key Skills in Primary Care Assessment for DCPs
A distance learning CPD programme in the skills identified by the FGDP(UK) as vital to a high standard of patient care. DCPs present a portfolio of evidence reflecting on their own activities and working practices relating to each Key Skill. This programme carries up to 80 hours of CPD and subject areas covered include medical emergencies, infection control, radiography and dental materials.See also
- Royal College of Surgeons of EnglandRoyal College of Surgeons of EnglandThe Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
- Faculty of Dental SurgeryFaculty of Dental SurgeryThe Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England was established in 1947.There are two other Faculties of Dental Surgery in the UK, one based at The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the other a part of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of GlasgowThere is...
- Selection Criteria in Dental RadiographySelection Criteria in Dental RadiographyThis is a seminal publication of the Faculty of General Dental Practice of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.The publication marked the standardisation of dental radiography and now provides the dental profession with a set of evidence based criteria in order to minimse radiation exposure...