Advocacy

Oral Health Resources

Find downloadable information about common dental issues and procedures. For more information catering to your patients’ needs, visit www.KnowYourTeeth.com, the Academy of General Dentistry’s public Web site.

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   >>> General Dentists   Related articles:
  • What is a General Dentist?
  • What is the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD)?

    • >> What Is Continuing Education, and What Does It Mean to Me?
  • FAGD and MAGD: What Do These Awards Mean?
  • How Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Members Advocate for Patients
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       Gum (Periodontal) Disease  

    What Is Continuing Education, and What Does It Mean to Me?

    What is continuing education?

    Continuing education consists of courses that dentists take after they graduate from dental school in order to remain up to date in the field and to learn about the latest techniques and procedures.

    Dentists take the courses at college and university campuses, at dental association meetings or on the Web. Online courses can be completed on the dentist's own time, which is useful, since dentists are working professionals with busy schedules.

    What are the AGD's continuing education requirements?

    AGD members never stop learning; the AGD requires its members to participate in 75 hours of continuing education every three years. However, surveys have shown that AGD members complete more than 40 hours of continuing education on average each year. By choosing an AGD member as your dentist, you can trust that he or she is up to date regarding the latest procedures in general dentistry and able to provide your entire family with high-quality treatment.

    How is continuing education beneficial?

    Dentists take continuing education courses to ensure that they are aware of new developments, techniques and treatments in their field and to learn new services that they can offer to their patients, such as laser dentistry, cosmetic procedures or sleep dentistry.

    Do states require continuing education for dentists?

    State regulations require dentists to meet certain continuing education requirements. These requirements help to ensure that only the most competent professionals maintain their practice. Many AGD dentists exceed the number of state-required continuing education hours because of their AGD membership requirements.

    Does the AGD give any recognition for continuing education?

    AGD members who have completed the most rigorous continuing dental education programs can earn the prestigious Fellowship (FAGD) and Mastership (MAGD) Awards. To learn more about the FAGD and MAGD Awards, click here.

    The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a non-profit organization of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patient's oral health needs. Learn more about AGD member dentists or find more information on dental health topics at www.agd.org/public.

    Contact: The AGD public relations department at 312.440.4308 or media@agd.org.

    Note: Information that appears in General Dentistry, the AGD's peer-reviewed journal, AGD Impact, the AGD's newsmagazine and related press releases do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the AGD.