Dentistry

This programme is only available for Graduate Entry. The new University of Aberdeen Dental School offers the first graduate entry, four year, BDS programme in Scotland. As is common with all new professional degree programmes, the General Dental Council (GDC) has begun the process of assessment of our programme, but it will not complete this approval process until the first cohort of students graduate in 2012.

Why Aberdeen?

The School is based in a purpose built new facility which is co-located on the Foresterhill site with two other dental facilities; the Aberdeen Dental Institute, which is a new centre for postgraduate dental training with associated outreach clinics, and Argyll House, which houses other NHS Grampian dental facilities and staff offices.  The new School, opened by Rt Hon Alex Salmond, MP, MSP and First Minister of Scotland in January 2010, provides an opportunity to develop a centre of excellence for dentistry which will benefit Aberdeen, Grampian and Scotland as a whole. The purpose built complex features facilities for oral surgery, dental accident and emergency, restorative dentistry, integrated oral care, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, dental imaging as well as dental laboratories and office accommodation.

• The course is facilitated jointly by the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine & Dentistry and the University of Dundee Dental School.
• The new course is based around a series of themes which are integrated horizontally and vertically throughout the course and has been designed to meet the requirements of the General Dental Council as outlined in “The First Five Years” Third Edition (Interim) 2008 an cognisance will also be taken to meet any future GDC requirements for the BDS programme. The necessary procedure for gaining GDC approval of our course has commenced
• The course has been designed specifically for graduates and encompasses a variety of modern educational methods for teaching and learning. There is a focus on more independent and reflective learning, and clinical work is introduced from first year to maximise clinical experience
• You will be part of a wider community of students who study on the Foresterhill site, including Medical and Science students; undergraduates and postgraduates. You will have excellent student support systems and access to other shared facilities such as the library and the Suttie Centre for Teaching and Learning in Healthcare. This is another exciting new building, a shared facility for NHS staff and students, and demonstrates the commitment of the University and NHS Grampian to the training and education of healthcare professionals
• For information on University fees and bursaries please see our website at: www.abdn.ac.uk/undergraduate/finance
• For information on the NHS Bursary please visit: www.saas.gov.uk where there is a dedicated Dental Bursary Section

 

Programmes

Features

  

• Teaching and learning experience is provided in a new, state of the art dental school.
• Four year fully integrated graduate BDS programme.
• Organised around six themes which are integrated horizontally and vertically.
• Teaching and learning experience for students is patient centred.
• Clinical skills training and experience commences in Semester 1 of first year.
• Clinical care of patients commences in first year of BDS programme.
• Holistic patient care provided from third year with experiences in outreach attachment and other placements.
• Students develop a logbook and clinical skills profile of all activity carried out within the dental programme to facilitate progression to postgraduate training.

The opportunity to take Enhanced Study options as part of your degree and participate in co-curricular activities. See www.abdn.ac.uk/thedifference for more information.

The teaching of the BDS curriculum has been planned around a series of six themes:

• General Health and Disease
• Dental Health and Disease
• Patient Care
• Behavioural Science and Dental Public Health
• Law, Ethics and Professionalism
• Decontamination and Infection Control.

These themes run throughout the four years of the programme and teaching has been designed so that there is both horizontal (between themes within the same year) and vertical (in subsequent years within each theme) integration.

In addition to being organised around themes, a key aspect of the course is its "patient centred" approach. In first year, teaching will focus on perhaps the least challenging patient group, the 'normal' dentate adult patient. As clinical skills and confidence in caring for patients are consolidated, other more 'complex' groups will be considered as detailed below, with appropriate clinical attachments added to provide supporting clinical experience:

Year 1	Semester 2a	The 'normal' dentate adult patient
Year 2	Semester 1	The child patient
	Semester 2a	The older patient
Year 3	Semester 1	The anxious patient
	Semester 2a	The patient with special needs
Year 4	Semester 1	Holistic Patient Care
	Semester 2	Holistic Patient Care

General Health and Disease

This course runs throughout the four year BDS programme and begins in first year with discussion of the basic sciences that underpin clinical practice.  Topics covered include microbiology, systems physiology and anatomy, with particular emphasis on head and neck regions in the latter. This will involve studying the normal structure and function of the body before moving on to consider abnormal aspects of function and disease. Pharmacology will also be introduced during first year before being revisited in later years.  The physiological, psychological and pharmacological nature of pain will be discussed towards the end of the first year and will support material covered in Dental Health and Disease at this time.  During the three following years, the course will expand to encompass major and common medical conditions dentists are likely to encounter in general practice.

Dental Health and Disease

This covers the basic dental sciences, including dental anatomy, oral biology and physiology, oral pathology, oral microbiology etc, and the aetiology, presentation, prevention and management of the full range of dental/oral disease. The most common endemic oral diseases (caries and periodontal disease) are covered throughout first year, with other topics covering the full range of disease introduced in the subsequent years.

Patient Care

This course covers the clinical care of patients. The introductory clinical skills course will commence in semester 1 of first year and will cover the treatment of simple periodontal disease and caries management in a simulated clinical environment using phantom heads. Integrated clinically related activities (ICRAs) take place in semester 2a to introduce the student to the clinical environment.  Healthcare of your own patients will commence in semester 2b with preventative treatment and simple restorative procedures. The clinical experience will then continue throughout the remainder of the curriculum with further clinical skills courses to advance appropriate patient care, and with attachments to clinics in the full range of dental disciplines. In semester 2b of  year 3, the focus will be on holistic patient care, when students will be responsible for all aspects of their patients' dental care. Throughout this theme, there will be an emphasis on working as part of the dental team, with the roles of the other dental care professionals being explored.

Behavioural Science and Dental Public Health

This will cover strategies for communicating effectively with patients and will be introduced in semester 1 of first year to support students' first contact with patients. Modification of these strategies for communicating with different patient groups will be introduced later in the curriculum as these particular groups are considered. Behavioural techniques for the management of dental anxiety and those with special needs will also be covered.

Dental public health will be introduced in first year, continuing throughout the remainder of the curriculum, and will cover the scope of dental public health, exploring both the interventions with individual patients and population groups, epidemiology, statistics, critical appraisal of the literature and evaluating the evidence base, the role of the dental public health consultant, links between dental health/disease and social deprivation etc.

Law, Ethics and Professionalism

Dental professionals are united in their occupation, their learning, and the legal and ethical standards by which they conduct their work and live their lives.  The profession is regulated by the General Dental Council.  The first year of this course aims to raise awareness of the issues relevant to Law, Ethics and Professionalism for dentists, and to provide an appropriate environment within which an ethical and professional attitude to dentistry will be developed. As the programme progresses, the particular aspects of the Law and ethical and professional issues associated with the different patient groups will be explored.  This learning experience will be brought together in fourth year with the consideration of more complex teaching scenarios. A key aspect is to inculcate a caring attitude into the developing dental care professional and the need for continuing personal development throughout their career.

Decontamination and Infection Control

Using a series of lectures, practical classes and e-learning, the students will be able to understand, and have the knowledge of, the need for decontamination procedures and infection control.  The student will then be able to arrange the working practice environment in the most safe and efficient manner for all patients and staff, taking into account the decontamination process and infection control procedures.

The application of infection control/decontamination in the clinical setting will also be assessed throughout clinical attachments as part of the assessment of professionalism.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching and learning strategies have been designed to meet the needs of a more mature student group with previous experience of university education. There is a focus on more independent and reflective learning, supported by the use of e-learning. Students develop an extensive e-portfolio to collect evidence of their learning and experience, and this forms part of the assessment.

A range of assessment methods is used with a pattern of class exams during semester 1 and 2a and professional exams at the end of the year. Assessment methods may include short essay questions, practical exams and multiple short answer questions. Objective clinical assessment of your skills will be done by means of Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and Structured Clinical Objective Testing (SCOTs) at appropriate stages.

Careers

Our new programme, subject to the necessary approval, will lead to full GDC registration. Following mandatory vocational training a dentist may set up as an associate, partner or principal in general practice, join the community dental service, work in a hospital with a view to becoming a consultant, or become a clinical academic and contribute to the training of the next generation of dental graduates.

Finding your direction

There are many opportunities at the University of Aberdeen to develop your knowledge, gain experience and build a competitive set of skills to enhance your employability. This is essential for your future career success.  The Careers Service can help you to plan your career and support your choices throughout your time with us – from first to final year – and beyond.

• More information on employability at the University of Aberdeen.
• More information on the Careers Service.
• More information on careers prospects and employability with a degree in Dentistry.

Entrance Requirements

Minimum Academic Requirements
The entry requirement for admission is a good Honours Degree (First or Upper Second-Class) in a medical science or a health-related degree (such as Pharmacy or Physiotherapy for example). Candidates with a first degree in Medicine will also be considered. Undergraduates who are in their final year of study on an Honours degree programme must ensure that their academic reference includes a prediction of their expected degree classification. We cannot consider an undergraduate whose application form lacks this information.

 

UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UK CAT)
The admissions process also involves suitably qualified applicants sitting an entrance test (UK CAT) and the scores obtained are used with other criteria to select for interview. All applicants must complete this test the year prior to entry. For more information on the UK CAT test, including registration dates, please refer to their website http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/ You should ensure that you register early for a test as being unable to gain a test sitting will not be accepted as an extenuating circumstance.

All applications should be made through UCAS and the closing date for applications is normally 15 October in the year prior to entry to the programme.

Applicants without a medical science or health-related degree may be considered. These applicants must hold a first class degree as well as a minimum of a B grade in Human Biology and Chemistry at Higher or A-Level.

 

Gaining a place is competitive and we have many more highly qualified applicants than our 20 places, which are for Home/EU students only. We are looking for candidates who are enthusiastic about becoming dentists and who display commitment and have good interpersonal and practical skills. Ideally, candidates should have undertaken some work shadowing and have a good understanding of what being a dentist involves. Selection is on the basis of academic qualifications, UK CAT score, personal statement, referee’s report and an interview.

 

For further detailed information of entrance requirements please click here.

Please click on the links below to find out more information on funding in your area.

• Scotland and EU (Excluding England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• Rest of UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• International
• Scholarships

Related Links

• Scholarships
• Entrance Scholarships
• Funding Database
• England Wales and Northern Ireland Finance Guide