Dentistry

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Deadline: Oct 15, 2024
201–250 place StudyQA ranking:13311 Duration:60 months

Photos of university / #dundeeuni

Description

Why study Dentistry at Dundee?

The BDS curriculum in Dundee will help you develop the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to graduate as a dental practitioner capable of maintaining the oral and dental health of the patients in your care. Not only will you develop clinical skills across the full range of dental disciplines, but you will also build the foundation of scientific knowledge on which clinical practice is based. In addition, you will appreciate the ethical and legal basis for dental practice, and acquire appropriate skills for communicating with your patients and helping them deal with what many find an anxious experience.

The dentist also works as part of the dental team and you will learn about the roles and responsibilities of all members of this team and work with them in the care of your patients.

Staff in the Dental School are committed to your teaching and development as dental practitioners. The School is small enough for you to get to know the staff well and the care and support provided for our students is recognised as excellent.

Dental knowledge and practice is ever-changing and developing and an important aim of the BDS curriculum is that you appreciate that your undergraduate learning is the first phase in a professional education that will continue throughout your career.

FAQs

Can't find the information you are looking for? We have prepared answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Elective study

You will have the opportunity for a period of elective study between Years 4 and 5 of the course, when you can undertake a project in an area of dentistry of specific interest to you. Many students take this chance to travel overseas to gain experience of dental practice in environments very different to the UK, broadening both their educational and personal horizons. Some students take the opportunity to extend this experience by spending the first semester of Year 5 on an Erasmus exchange programme. The Dental School has agreements with dental schools in France, Germany, Denmark, Finland and Norway and this provides an excellent chance for you to experience both dental education in a different context and the cultural and social benefits of spending an extended period of time in another country.

Outreach centres

From the end of Year 4 you will also spend a considerable amount of time in outreach centres, both local and distant from Dundee, set up to help improve access to dental care. Here you will treat a wide variety of patients in settings different to the Dental Hospital, broadening your clinical experience. This element of the curriculum is very popular with students.

"The Medical School is part of the Ninewells Hospital and it is a wonderful opportunity for us students to be able to go on wards, ask for advice from doctors, see patients from the very beginning of our studies. The curriculum at Dundee Medical School suits my learning style perfectly and I am so glad I am a Medical student at the University of Dundee!"

Anda Bularga

Employability

Dundee's BDS is registrable with the General Dental Council (GDC) and a wide range of opportunities is available. Graduates normally complete a vocational or foundation training programme and can then choose to work as an associate partner or principal in a general practice, in the community dental service, or in a hospital with a view to becoming a consultant.

Other career opportunities include:

  • University teaching and research is another attractive avenue for the outstanding graduate.
  • Dental surgeons can join the armed forces as commissioned officers.
  • Several large companies employ their own dentists to provide dental treatment for their staff.

A dentist, therefore, in addition to enjoying high community standing and an above-average income, has an excellent range of working environments.

Furthering your career opportunities

The Dental School has a strong record of offering selected students the opportunity to undertake an Intercalated Bachelor of Medical Science (Honours) degree. This one-year programme, taken following Year 2 of the BDS, provides an opportunity for the in-depth study of one of a range of disciplines and will help you develop study and research skills useful to both your dental studies and your career opportunities beyond graduation.

UCAS Code: A200

Detailed Course Facts

Application deadline October 15 Tuition fee

Fee category

Fees for students starting September 2015

Scottish students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Rest of UK students

£9,000 per year of study. See our scholarships for rest of UK applicants.

EU students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Overseas students (non-EU)

£18,600 for Level 1, then £50,000 per year for each of the remaining four years. £18,600 for the Pre-Dental year.

Not specified Start date September 2015 This Course Starts in September Duration full-time 60 months Languages Take an IELTS test
  • English
Delivery mode On Campus Educational variant Full-time

Course Content

BDS Dentistry is taught by staff in the Dental School & Hospital, and is located on the University's city campus. The Dental School, which was inaugurated in 1916, is at the forefront of research, teaching and clinical dental practice and benefits from being an integral part of the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing.

What you will study

The dental curriculum is under continuing development and review. Therefore, although all the content indicated below will be covered, how this is arranged across the years may be subject to change by 2014/5. This page will be updated to reflect any changes.

Year 1

  • The early years focus on the pre- and para-clinical sciences, knowledge of which is vital for a full understanding of your patients' problems and the reasoning behind the treatments you will provide.
  • In Year 1, the focus is on the basic biomedical sciences of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, with the addition of the para-clinical dental sciences of oral biology, cell biology, microbiology, pathology and dental materials science.
  • The clinical relevance of these subjects is highlighted in integrated clinically relevant activities (ICRAs).
  • You will also undertake a basic emergency care module and basic clinical infection control measures will be introduced in the Cleanliness Champion programme.

Year 2

  • Year 2 is a continuation of your studies from Year 1 but with the emphasis moving to the dental and para-clinical sciences. There will be further ICRAs and you will complete the Cleanliness Champion programme.
  • You will also begin to develop your clinical skills, with introductory skills courses in periodontology and the management of dental caries.
  • At the end of Year 2, you will undertake the Introduction to Clinical Skills course, where you will learn a range of basic clinical skills in preparation for entering the clinical phase of the curriculum.
  • These skills will be assessed in a degree examination to ensure that you are ready to go on to provide dental care for patients in Year 3.

Year 3

  • You will begin your clinical attachments in Year 3, providing care for patients in a range of dental disciplines within the Dental Hospital.
  • You will also study the theoretical background of these different disciplines and will continue to develop your skills with further clinical skills courses.
  • In Year 3 you will also study human disease, in order to appreciate the potential impact of a patient's general health on their dental treatment.
  • This teaching takes place at Ninewells Hospital and there is a separate degree examination in this subject.

Year 4

  • In Year 4 you will continue your clinical attachments with the addition of further disciplines such as orthodontics, oral medicine and treatment of the dentally-anxious.
  • You will continue to build your theoretical knowledge and undertake advanced clinical skills courses
  • At the end of Year 4 you will have your first outreach attachments, at centres both local and distant from Dundee
  • You will also undertake your period of elective study.

Year 5

  • The emphasis in Year 5 is on holistic patient care.
  • You will have sessions in the Integrated Oral Care clinic in the Dental Hospital, providing total dental care for your patients.
  • You will also have attachments to a range of specialist consultant clinics.
  • A significant proportion of your time will be spent in outreach clinics, both longitudinal attachments to local clinics and week-long attachments at distant centres in Aberdeen and Inverness.
How you will be assessed

Assessment in each year of the curriculum combines continuous assessment and an end-of-year examination.

Years 1 and 2

  • In Years 1 and 2, your continuous assessment grade is derived from integrated class examinations at the end of each semester and contributes 30% towards your overall grade for the year.
  • The end-of-year examination is also integrated, with written and practical elements, and contributes 70%.

Years 3 and 4

From Year 3, continuous assessment has academic and clinical components. You will continue to be assessed academically by examinations and your clinical activity will be graded at each clinical session. This helps us identify students who may require extra support and put such help in place for them.

In Years 3 and 4, continuous assessment forms 25% and 20% respectively of your overall grade.

Year 5

In year 5, continuous assessment contributes 30% to the assessment of knowledge component of the final examination.

In addition

In addition, the Dental School is keen that you develop the attributes of a professional practitioner from the outset, therefore your professionalism will be monitored at every compulsory teaching and/or clinical activity throughout the curriculum.

Requirements

See Course homepage for Full Details

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

  • Academic Excellence Scholarship

    "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

  • Access Bursary

    Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

  • Alumni Bursary

    Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Dundee.

Accreditation

Professional Accreditation:

This programme is registrable with the professional governing body for dentistry in the UK, the General Dental Council (GDC)

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