The 18th and final Diploma Ceremony for 2025 on 16 December was a special occasion for the Faculty of Dental Surgery. For the second time in the history of the College, all of the diplomates receiving their awards were from the Faculty of Dental Surgery. The only other occasion this occurred was in 2022, as part of the 40th year celebrations of the founding of the Faculty.
You might ask why the College held a dental-only ceremony in 2025? The answer might not entirely surprise you. With a significant increase in dental examination activity in 2025, this resulted in the Faculty generating a backlog of diplomates. Whilst as a Faculty we enjoy participating in every Diploma Ceremonies both in Edinburgh and internationally, December’s ceremony was a special occasion to celebrate the achievements of so many people across dentistry. The ceremony was led by our President, Dr Clare McNaught, who opened the ceremony with her address to the diplomates, noting the advances made by, and successes of, the Faculty of Dental Surgery over the decades.
Professor Grant McIntyre, RCSEd Dental Dean and Vice-President then continued proceedings with his address and then awarded of two Fellowships in Dental Surgery Ad Hominem to Professor Anton Sculean (Geneva) and Professor Aileen Bell (Glasgow) with the 2024 Faculty of Dental Surgery medal being awarded to Dental Council member, Dr Toby Gillgrass. A full range of diplomas were awarded to Associates, Members and Fellows across dentistry, including two Dental Care Professionals.
With two couples celebrating their joint achievements at the ceremony, Dr Gordon Buchanan being awarded the 2024 Dean’s Medal for outstanding performance in the UK MFDS Part 2 examination and Dr Samuel Reeves being awarded the 2024/2025 William Houston Medal for outstanding performance in the Membership in Orthodontics Examination, it was a truly memorable Diploma Ceremony to complete the Faculty of Dental Surgery calendar of events for 2025. The year ahead will see an equally busy series of Diploma Ceremonies with diplomates from all over the world.