Research Competencies Framework
Click here to view the Research Competencies document.
Research underpins evidence-based dentistry, which in turn directs the dental team towards successful clinical practice. Formerly seen as the Cinderella of the profession, research now is achieving its rightful place in all aspects of dentistry. The expertise for research has mainly been resident within the secondary care sector, which numerically represents a small minority of the profession.
Of late, a growing number of primary care workers have become involved in research, and primary care dental research has come of age. However, due to the difficulty of obtaining funding, the majority of these practitioners have been enthusiastic amateurs who have picked up research skills to a greater or lesser extent along the way.
Research skills can now be gained through various training courses, including the formal training provided by a masters degree. The involvement of dental personnel with primary care research networks has opened up many opportunities, including dental participation in multi-disciplinary research projects.
By publishing the Research Competencies document and the Functional Map, the FGDP(UK) has taken on the responsibility of setting standards in primary care research. It will be essential for divisional research coordinators to have a range of research competencies, and the Faculty framework will provide a road map to guide researchers through the stages of research.
The Faculty’s national research facilitators, Ken Eaton and Paul Batchelor, have produced these excellent guidelines which clearly lead the potential researcher through the maze of research principles and methodology. The documents outline both the structure and stages of research, and will greatly assist primary care workers to find their rightful place in the hierarchy.
Mr Crawford Gray, FGDP(UK) Member and Chairman of the Research Committee
 View the Research Competencies document
View the FGDP(UK)'s research guidance leaflets
| 
