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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