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.

Quality of Care through Lifelong Learning

Mission

The mission of the Academy of General Dentistry is to serve the needs and represent the interests of general dentists, to promote the oral health of the public, and to foster continued proficiency of general dentists through quality continuing dental education in order to better serve the public.

What is a general dentist?

A general dentist is the primary dental care provider for patients of all ages. The general dentist is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patients' oral health needs.

What is the Academy of General Dentistry?

The Academy of General Dentistry is a non-profit international organization with 37,000 member dentists from the U.S., its territories and Canada. It was founded in 1952.

The Academy strives to provide the best possible patient care through its dedication to the continuing dental education of its members. In addition, it provides the public with information to help make informed choices about personal dental care and treatments.

The Academy is recognized within the profession as a resource for continuing dental education credit recording and monitoring for the general dentist.

What sets the Academy of General Dentistry apart from other dental organizations?

The Academy of General Dentistry is the only organization dedicated solely to the general dentist. Committed to providing quality care and patient education to the public, Academy members are required to take 75 hours of continuing education courses every three years. However, most members average more than 40 hours each year.

The Academy's Web site, www.agd.org, gives consumers the opportunity to find answers to their dental questions via the Internet. Questions are answered within hours by an Academy member.

Membership/Awards

To be a member of the Academy, a general dentist must complete 75 hours of continuing dental education courses every three years. Members are eligible for two prestigious awards, the Fellowship (FAGD) and Mastership (MAGD) Awards, by meeting additional educational requirements. More than 10,000 dentists, or roughly 10 percent of all general dentists, have earned an Academy Fellowship Award.

Fellowship Award

To receive the Fellowship Award, an Academy member must complete a minimum of 500 continuing education credit hours, pass a comprehensive examination and have been a member of the Academy for five continuous years.

Mastership Award

To receive the Mastership Award, a member must complete 1,100 hours of continuing education, including 400 hours of hands-on courses, and have previously earned a Fellowship Award. A Master has studied all 16 disciplines in dentistry including periodontics, orthodontics and implants.

The Academy of General Dentistry is a non-profit organization of more than 37,000 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/consumer.

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