Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP UK) separates from the Royal College of Surgeons of England

The Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP UK) has today completed its separation from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) to join the new College of General Dentistry, realising the ultimate ambition of its founding members to establish an independent college for general dental practice. 

At the start of its 25th anniversary year in 2017, the Faculty announced that it would begin preparing for independence. Today’s separation sees FGDP UK’s charitable functions transferred to the College of General Dentistry (CGDent) which was formally launched earlier this month (1 July 2021).

RCS England has long supported dental surgeons, and is proud of its role in providing an academic home for general dental professionals for over 40 years. The Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS), which remains at RCS England, first held an examination for general dental practitioners, the Membership in General Dental Surgery, in 1979.  

Since its establishment in 1992, FGDP UK’s mission has been to positively influence oral health through the education of the general dental professions and the provision of evidence-based guidance. The CGDent will now assume these responsibilities, and is grateful to RCS England for its role in establishing the FGDP, and for enabling it to grow and thrive in preparation for its eventual independence.  

FGDP UK and FDS have frequently collaborated, perhaps most notably in the delivery of the MJDF (Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties) examination, and the RCS England and CGDent are committed to continuing to work together going forward in the interests of the dental professions and the patients they serve. 

Commenting on the separation, Professor Neil Mortensen, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: 

“We wish our colleagues from FGDP very well as they embark on the exciting task of establishing the College of General Dentistry. Together, over the last 29 years, we have provided a professional home for general dental practitioners, and the FGDP have been a positive force for improving the care provided to patients. I am left in no doubt that we will continue to work together in the future to build on this very important work.” 

Abhi Pal FCGDent, Dean of the Faculty of General Dental Practice UK, said: 

“Today sees the realisation of the vision of our founders to develop the FGDP towards the ultimate goal of independence, and I thank the Royal College of Surgeons of England for supporting our profession by hosting us for the last 30 years. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the thousands of colleagues without whose participation none of the Faculty’s achievements would have been possible. We are extremely grateful for the hundreds of thousands of hours given by so many over the years to running our regional divisions, supporting study groups, marking examinations, organising CPD days, drafting standards, developing curricula, serving on our boards and committees, peer reviewing papers and all our many other activities which ultimately benefit the general dental professions and our patients. I would also like to thank all our members for their support, and I look forward to continuing to serve you as President of CGDent.” 

Janet Clarke MBE FCGDent, Chair of the College of General Dentistry, said: 

“The transfer of the Faculty of General Dental Practice into the College of General Dentistry is a hugely significant moment, and I would like to welcome all transferring FGDP members to the UK’s first and long-awaited independent college for dentistry. We have already launched an enhanced set of membership benefits in preparation for your arrival, and look forward to engaging you as we seek to build on the work of the FGDP to develop guidance and career pathways for the whole dental team.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. For more information, please contact the RCS England Press Office: Telephone: 020 7869 6047; E-mail: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk. For out-of-hours media enquiries please telephone: 0207 869 6056. 
2. The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is a professional membership organisation and registered charity, which exists to advance patient care. We support our national and global membership, providing education, assessment, and development to nearly 30,000 surgeons, dental surgeons, and members of the wider surgical and dental teams at all stages of their career; we set professional standards, facilitate research, and champion world-class surgical outcomes for patients. We want to see excellent surgical care for everyone and will achieve our vision by enabling all our members, in all their diversity, to deliver excellence in everything they do.  
3. The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body committed to helping the entire dental team achieve and maintain excellence in practice and patient care. It provides world-class courses and its qualifications are internationally recognised, including its new Membership of The Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) examination.  
4. The Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP(UK)) was based at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. It provided services to help those in general dental practice raise standards of patient care. It did this through standards setting, providing education courses and assessments, CPD, policy development, research and publications. Today’s separation sees FDGP UK’s charitable functions transferred to the College of General Dentistry (CGDent) which was formally launched earlier this month (1July 2021).   
5. The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) is the first independent college for primary care dentistry in the UK. Serving the public interest in oral health, and engaging the whole dental team, it builds on the achievements of the FGDP(UK) in setting standards for general dental care and leading in dental education, and has a vision to achieve Royal College standing. For enquiries, please contact Simon Thornton-Wood on 07812 991538, or email simon.thorntonwood@cgdent.uk.  
6. FGDP UK Background:  The Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England first held an examination for general dental practitioners, the Membership in General Dental Surgery, in 1979, before establishing a standing committee on general dental surgery. An ambition to establish an independent college home for general dental practitioners later emerged, leading to the creation of the Advisory Board in General Dental Practice within the FDS as a first step. This had its own membership, which grew to over 3,000 general dental practitioners, and in 1992, the FGDP UK was established as a separate faculty, unique among the UK’s Royal Colleges in being dedicated to general dental practice. Membership was extended to dental care professionals in 2005, to fourth and fifth year dental students in 2011, and to all dental students in 2019.