Membership
Apply for membership
Applications are made from an account in the College's members area.
How to apply
- Create an account in the members area with your email address. There is no password — the College emails you a link each time.
- Tell us about your practice: your dental registration, where you practise, when you graduated, and when and where you placed your first implant.
- Tick what you hold. The members area works out which grades you may apply for against the criteria below, and offers those — you can apply for a grade lower than the one you reach, but not a higher one.
- Sign the Applicant Declaration and submit. The Membership Committee assesses every application and records its decision.
What each grade asks for
| Grade | Postnominal | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliate | None | Registration with the GDC or a recognised overseas dental regulator. No qualification in implant dentistry required. |
| Associate | None | Enrolment on a recognised Diploma or a comparable programme in implant dentistry, the BCDIS Certificate in Implant Dentistry, or the College’s approved Associate pathway. |
| Member | MBCDIS | A Diploma in implant dentistry recognised by the College — or a pass in the Membership Examination — together with active implant practice. |
| Associate Fellow | AFBCDIS | A Diploma in implant dentistry recognised by the College, together with either ten years in clinical dental practice or a master’s degree or doctorate in implant dentistry — and substantial ongoing implant practice. |
| Fellow | FBCDIS | Ten years in clinical dental practice and an MSc, MClinDent, PhD or comparable higher qualification specifically in implant dentistry. A Diploma is accepted alongside but is not additionally required. |
| Honorary Fellow | Hon FBCDIS | Conferred by invitation of the Board only. There is no application route. |
Meeting the criteria permits an application — it does not guarantee the award. Every grade is the Committee’s decision. The grades in full are on the membership page.
Which qualifications are recognised
Recognised automatically, with nothing further to check:
- the EduQual Diploma in Implant Dentistry (SCQF Level 11);
- a Diploma in Implant Dentistry from a Royal College of Surgeons;
- an MSc, MClinDent or PhD in implant dentistry from a UK public university; and
- the MSc in Implant Dentistry of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid.
Any other award still counts towards your grade and you can still apply — the Committee considers whether the College recognises it as part of deciding your application. You will be asked for the institution and the exact title of the award.
What an account gives you
An account on its own carries no standing with the College, and creating one is not an application. It becomes useful when the Committee grants you a title, or when you take out an affiliation.
Members use it to download their certificate, show a card that verifies against the public register, generate correct wording for their postnominal, control what the register publishes about them, and see the offers their grade carries.
Terms of membership
Read these before you apply. You are asked to accept them, and to sign the Applicant Declaration, as part of the application.
- Meeting the criteria permits an application. It does not guarantee the award — every grade is the Committee’s decision, and an application may be declined.
- A College grade is a professional membership designation. It is not an academic qualification recognised for GDC registration, and it confers no specialist status: the General Dental Council holds no specialist list in implant dentistry.
- A postnominal may be used only while in good standing, and displayed separately from your academic qualifications, in line with the guidance on using your postnominal.
- Membership renews annually. Subscriptions are free for the first twelve months while the College launches; the standard annual subscription for each grade is published in full.
- Appearing on the public register is optional and may be withdrawn at any time. Without it the College cannot issue a certificate, because the code on it verifies against an entry that would not exist.
- Knowingly giving false, misleading or materially incomplete information may result in refusal or withdrawal of membership or fellowship. The College may verify qualifications and registration.
No payment is taken on this website or in the members area. There is nothing to upload — the Committee requests any evidence it needs to see after your application is received.
Membership grades are professional membership designations of the College. They are not academic qualifications recognised for GDC registration, and they do not confer specialist status: the General Dental Council holds no specialist list in implant dentistry.