 FactSheet
Your dentist is a Fellow
or Master of
the Academy of General Dentistry
What
does FAGD or MAGD stand for after your general dentist’s name?
Your dentist is
a member of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general
dentists who are dedicated to professional development and continuing education.
All AGD members must remain current with advances in the profession to provide
quality patient treatment. A general dentist who is a “Fellow”
in the Academy of General Dentistry (FAGD) has been recognized by other
general dentists as a leader and an example to other dentists of the importance
of quality continuing dental education to patient care. A general dentist
who has earned the designation “Master” of the Academy of General
Dentistry (MAGD)—a big step up from Fellowship—has completed a
structured and rigorous set of requirements involving all the dental disciplines.
Both Fellows and Masters have accepted the charge to keep abreast of advances
in dentistry for the benefit of patients and the betterment of dentistry.
They serve as mentors and leaders to other dentists pursuing continuing
dental education. They set examples in their communities with their hard
work, concern and involvement.
What
are the steps to Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry?
To earn a Fellowship
Award, your dentist must earn a minimum of 500 approved continuing dental
education credits and pass a comprehensive 400-question examination. Your
dentist must also be an Academy of General Dentistry member for five continuous
years. While attaining Fellowship is a challenge, it allows dentists to
remain current with what is new in dentistry, and to incorporate the latest
techniques into their practices.
What
is the requirement for Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry?
To attain Mastership,
members must first be Fellows in the Academy of General Dentistry. Then
they must earn an additional 600 approved continuing education credits,
meeting minimum requirements in certain dental disciplines, of which 400
hours are hands on courses. Thus, a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry
has taken a total of 1,100 hours of continuing education. A Master has studied
16 disciplines in dentistry, such as periodontics, orthodontics and implants.
What’s
special about a dentist who has an award from the Academy of General Dentistry?
Fellows and Masters
of the Academy of General Dentistry follow a lifelong pursuit of continuing
education to provide the highest quality of dental care to patients. The
award symbolizes the professional responsibility of general dentists to
remain current in their profession and reminds each member of the dental
profession to continue to learn new techniques for their dental practice.
These are awards, however and should not be confused with post-graduate
degrees or certification. Every dentist who applies for the Fellowship or
Mastership award has their application reviewed by the AGD Council on Dental
Education to assure that the high standards of the Academy of General Dentistry
are met.
How
many dentists have achieved Fellowship or Mastership?
To date, more than
10,000 members of the Academy of General Dentistry have become Fellows and
more than 1,000 have gone on to receive Mastership. The Academy is proud
of all of its members who must take at least 75 hours of continuing dental
education every three years, and especially proud of its members who have
made the commitment to pursue these awards. When your dentist has achieved
the Fellowship Award or Mastership Award, you can be assured that they are
dedicated to providing the finest care in general dentistry.
This
information was compiled for you by the Academy of General Dentistry. Your
dentist cares about long-tern dental health for you and your family and
demonstrates that concern by belonging to the Academy of General Dentistry.
As one of the 35,000 general dentists in the United States and Canada who
are members of the Academy, your dentist participates in an ongoing program
of professional development and continuing education to remain current with
advances in the profession and to provide quality patient treatment. Visit
the AGD's web site at www.agd.org.
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