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Application Guide 2025:
Dentistry
Ultimate Guide To A Career in Dentistry In The UK In 2024
Dental Admissions Expert
Introduction
Dentistry is a specialised healthcare field that offers a range of rewarding career opportunities. After graduating from dental university, dentists can work for the NHS, in private practice, academia, research, or public health. Additionally, dentistry has several specialised areas, including paediatric dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, periodontology, and oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dentistry careers offer personal and professional growth opportunities, making it an exciting and fulfilling profession.
Here you can learn all about the different avenues a dentist in the UK can take.
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What happens after you graduate from Dental University?
After you graduate from dental university, it is mandatory to complete 1 year as a (DFT) dental foundation trainee to work for the NHS.
Dental Foundation Training (DFT) is a structured training program that provides newly qualified dentists with the opportunity to clinical experience with the help of trainers. The DFT program aims to equip dentists with the necessary skills to provide safe, effective, and ethical dental care.
The purpose of DFT is to ease graduates into the working life of dentists after university. It provides foundation dentists (FDs) with the opportunity to understand the NHS system and develop their dental skills whilst in a protected environment.
This involves working in an approved general dental practice treating patients whilst having a trainer(s) for added support. The trainer, otherwise known as an Education Supervisor will be there to supervise the FDs, help whenever needed and provide regular tutorials.
A normal week as a DFT involves working in a general practice treating patients for 4 days and having a study day for 1 day. The study day allows you to be taught by lecturers and have hands-on practice improving your clinical and non-clinical skills.
Upon completion of the program, dentists can progress to further training such as being a DCT (Dental Core Trainee) or work in a general dental practice. The Dental Foundation Training program provides an excellent foundation for a successful career in dentistry, and many dentists consider it a valuable investment in their professional development.
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What is DCT (Dental Core Training)?
Dental Core Training (DCT) is a chance for graduates to gain more experience before practising as a dentist. In the UK, there are a variety of specialities available for DCT, including:
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Restorative Dentistry
Paediatric Dentistry
Oral Medicine
Orthodontics
Periodontics
Prosthodontics
Special Care Dentistry
Oral Pathology
Those wanting to specialise must undertake training as a DCT. You can do a maximum of 3 DCT years with each year either being in a different speciality or the same. The more varied your years, the more experience you can gain.
The benefits of doing a DCT year are:
Expand knowledge in the chosen speciality
Develop clinical skills
Be able to work in a different environment such as hospital/community practices
Help allows you to pursue speciality training
Allow you to complete research, audits and present publications or presentations
The drawbacks of a DCT year:
If you want to be a general dental practitioner, completing a DCT year may deskill you with the clinical skills you have developed as an FD.
Salary may be lower than as a general dentist
There are fewer DCT places than DFT places meaning you may not get the location you want.
What is the application process for DCT (dental core training)?
Check eligibility: Candidates must have a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree, holding a valid registration with the General Dental Council (GDC), and completed DFT (Dental Foundation Training) or equivalent.
Choose the specialty: Candidates must choose the specialties and rank the locations they wish to apply for and ensure they meet the specific person specifications for each specialty.
Application form: Candidates must complete an online application form, which typically includes personal information, academic qualifications, work experience, and a personal statement.
Shortlisting: Candidates who meet the person specifications for their chosen specialties will be shortlisted for a competitive interview.
Interview: Shortlisted candidates will attend an interview, which may include a clinical scenario and questions related to their chosen specialties / professionalism
Offer and acceptance: Candidates who are successful in the interview will receive an offer of a place in their chosen specialties. They must then accept the offer and complete pre-employment checks before starting their training.
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What is life as a General Dental Practitioner (GDP) like?
Being a general dentist means you can treat a variety of patients and perform a range of procedures including fillings, root canal treatments, crowns, and even extractions hence a jack of all trades!
As a general dentist, you will need to be able to diagnose and treat the patient within your scope of practice. Lots of graduates become general dentists due to the ability to see patients on a regular basis and develop a strong rapport with them whilst performing several different procedures.
Dentists can further their knowledge by going on postgraduate courses, completing diplomas and even masters. By completing further courses, you can be a dentist with a special interest in a certain field. You can even go back to university to complete further degrees!
For example, completing a degree in Medicine on top of your Dentistry degree will allow you to be eligible to train as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon treating oral cancer and trauma. By completing further training it means you have more knowledge and expertise in that area, resulting in general dentists referring you complex patients to treat.
Having a career in Dentistry can lead you to multiple possibilities. It has the potential to progress vastly in any direction that you choose. If you would like to talk to one of our Dentistry specialists at TheUKCATPeople to find out more about Dentistry then click here.
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Working in a general dental practice
You can work as a general dentist providing NHS and/or private dentistry to your patients. Whilst NHS dentistry provides its stresses for working quickly and seeing several patients a day, the rewarding nature of allowing your patients to smile more and eat better is second to none.
Private dentistry allows you to provide more time for your patients focusing on aesthetic dentistry which can be greatly satisfying.
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What type of specialist can you become in dentistry?
Dentistry allows you to specialise in a variety of fields ranging from paediatric dentistry to being a specialist of gums (periodontists).
Being a specialist allows you to be the best in your field and have general dentists refer patients to you they need help with.
There are a number of specialities that you can pursue in 2024 within a career in dentistry:
Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology
Dental Public Health
Endodontics
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Oral Medicine
Oral Microbiology
Oral Surgery
Orthodontics
Paediatric Dentistry
Periodontology
Prosthodontics
Restorative dentistry
Special Care Dentistry
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