Dental Surgery MChD/BChD, Oral Science BSc

Course overview

The only joint Master and Bachelor dentistry degree in the UK, our MChD/BChD course integrates clinical dentistry, science and personal development. You’ll graduate from Leeds as a highly qualified and well-equipped professional. You’ll also be trained to think critically, work independently and be prepared to practice as a General Council-defined safe beginner dentist.

You’ll engage in clinical learning from an early stage so that you can apply your academic theoretical knowledge to the clinical environment. Your time on the course will develop your clinical reasoning, communication, leadership skills, clinical operative skills and your ability to work as part of a dental team. Clinical skills are gained through simulated clinical phantom head and digital haptic technology, followed by clinical experience on real patients in a range of environments. You will learn about the professional and ethical practice of dentistry.

Course highlights

Besides our unique integrated Masters and Bachelor degree, there are other benefits of studying dentistry at Leeds.

The School of Dentistry, in partnership with Leeds Dental Institute, is one of a few dental schools in the UK where the whole dental team (dentists, dental therapists, hygienists, technicians and dental nurses) are educated together.

The first year of Dental Surgery is co-taught with the first year of the Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy course. This encourages a community of learning and prepares students to work as a member of the dental team.

The School is committed to cultural and societal transformation in dental education. This comprises issues such as sustainability, decolonising the curriculum and a commitment to dealing with health inequalities and accessibility among the population. You will have the opportunity to engage in these issues and to drive the transformation of the profession.

The School is also at the forefront of research advances, which directly benefit our patients and informs our teaching. We are active in oral biological science, dental public health, digital dentistry and translational clinical science, as well as educational research. Students are encouraged to work with leading researchers in the School as part of their student final year project work.

You’ll have access to the recently refurbished School of Dentistry Clinical Skills Classroom and Dental Haptic Simulator Classroom. You’ll also be able to use the School’s Medical Emergency simulation room, where you will learn (with video feedback) and be assessed on the management of simulated dental emergencies. The University of Leeds Health Science library is close to the School (the floor above) and so you will have easy access to a range of learning resources and study space.

We are especially proud of the School’s friendly atmosphere and our active, effective student-staff partnership work. Students are encouraged to give regular feedback on the course and to contribute to its development and there are multiple opportunities, both formal and informal to do this.

As a dental student, you will have the opportunity to be a member of the Leeds University Dental Society (DentSoc), which organises social and sports events, visits and talks throughout the year.

We are committed to supporting our students through the course and have a dedicated DenStudy team who provide study and academic skills advice and pastoral care to Dentistry students. This dedicated team are able to give tailored support and are easily accessible to our students. We want all of our students to fulfil their potential, to thrive and be successful.

General Dental Council Registration

Successful completion of this course (and meeting Fitness to Practise criteria) allows you to be recommended for registration with the General Dental Council (GDC), the regulatory body for dental professionals in the UK.

Professional standards

Dental professionals must adhere to a professional code of ethics to maintain their registration with the General Dental Council (GDC). As a dental student, you’ll be expected to demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills and attitudes expected of a dental professional. You must apply the principles of professionalism to your studies, education and your personal and social life. Please read the guidance on professionalism on the GDC website.

Course details

Year 1

In the first year you will be introduced to the basic themes of dentistry: basic science, clinical practice and professionalism. You gain an insight into the clinical environment so that you are more able to see the relevance of and to apply your theoretical knowledge. Amongst other topics you will be introduced to health and health promotion, oral anatomy, microbiology and related science, and periodontal disease.

A key aspect of this year is to understand the importance of the values of the profession in putting patients first and ethical issues such as consent and confidentiality. The first of a series of personal and professional development modules will be taken in this year.

Year 2

Year 2 builds your scientific knowledge and how to apply this to clinical practice. You will develop basic operative skills in the clinical skills classroom, and develop basic communication skills and leadership skills. Your understanding of issues relating to the ethical and professional practise of dentistry will be developed in the second of the personal and professional development modules. You will learn about biomedical and social sciences relating to dentistry. You will be introduced to evidence-based practice and psychological models of dental anxiety.

Year 3

In Year 3 you will be introduced to clinical skills used in the diagnosis and treatment of more complex dental disease and complex restorations. You will develop your clinical management skills, including basic diagnosis and treatment planning and clinical operative technique and communication skills, in the clinical environment. You will study ‘illness and well-being’ which considers the areas of pathology and microbiology.

You will have the opportunity to consolidate your knowledge of psychological theories of anxiety and stress and their effects on health. You will undertake an assessed research project, which helps develop your skills in scientific research and in applying research principles.

Year 4

There is a possibility for you to take a year out and undertake an intercalated degree before beginning Year 4. Please read more about intercalation.

You will have the opportunity to build your clinical experience in Year 4. All dentists must be able to assess the health of their patients to undertake safe dental treatment and you will continue to build relevant clinical diagnosis and reasoning skills. Your clinical experience will span the specialist areas of restorative and paediatric dentistry, orthodontics, oral medicine, oral surgery, pathology and radiology.

Year 5

At this stage you will choose your final-year project and start the process of planning your research. Year 5 is the culmination of your studies.

Final-year modules and clinical experience consolidate the knowledge skills and professional attitudes you will need to successfully transition into dental foundation training and independent professional practice. You will have the opportunity to practise conscious intravenous and inhalation sedation. You will undertake an in-depth Masters-level project which develops and assesses your higher-level critical reflective and research skills.

The final personal and professional development module focuses on preparation for the world of work. It introduces the organisational, business and managerial skills needed in general dental practice and provides support for the dental foundation training selection process.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Dental Surgery MChD/BChD, Oral Science BSc in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

• Health and Health Promotion (20 credits)
• Introduction to the Oral Environment (20 credits)
• Anxiety and Pain Management (20 credits)
• Oral Diseases, Defence and Repair (20 credits)
• Introduction to Clinical Skills and Practice (20 credits)
• Personal and Professional Development 1 (20 credits)

Year 2 compulsory modules

• Social Sciences Related to Dentistry (10 credits)
• Clinical Skills A (60 credits)
• Introduction to Biomedical Sciences (20 credits)
• Clinical Practice 2 (15 credits)
• Personal and Professional Development 2 (20 credits)

Year 3 compulsory modules

• Undergraduate Projects (20 credits)
• Clinical Skills B (50 credits)
• Child Centred Dentistry 1 (10 credits)
• Illness and Well-being (20 credits)
• Clinical Practice 3 (20 credits)
• Personal Professional Development 3 (20 credits)

Year 4 compulsory modules

• Clinical Medical Sciences 1 (30 credits)
• Complex Adult Dentistry (35 credits)
• Child Centred Dentistry 2 (10 credits)
• Final Year Project (30 credits)
• Personal Professional Development 4 (10 credits)
• Clinical Practice 4 (40 credits)

Year 5 compulsory modules

• Anxiety Management and Sedation (10 credits)
• Clinical Medical Sciences 2 (10 credits)
• Final Year Project (30 credits)
• Clinical Practice 5 (50 credits)
• Personal and Professional Development 5 – Preparing for the World of Work (20 credits)

Learning and teaching

The School of Dentistry uses a range of learning and teaching methods which are designed to be student-centred, active, engaging and inclusive. We will encourage you to take ownership of your learning and to learn as part of a community of dental students across the School. We strive to be inclusive in our learning and teaching approaches, so that all students feel a sense of belonging in the School.

We have a balance of different teaching methods, so that the most appropriate method is chosen to align with the content or subject being taught. We use lectures along with online or face-to-face live and pre-recorded sessions. There are opportunities for exploration of topics in face-to-face seminar and tutorial discussions with other students and tutors.

We use a digital learning platform to give you easy access to learning resources and to help guide you through your learning. Each module has its own area; you will be able to access lecture presentations, engage in discussions and communicate with staff and other students through discussion boards.

Clinical learning involves clinical skills classroom sessions, using haptic simulation technology and traditional phantom head operative activities. Our clinical skills classrooms have been recently refurbished, and are equipped with the latest technology and dental hand pieces.

We will introduce you to clinics and the management of real patients gradually, ensuring that you have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes at each stage to ensure patient safety. We have developed sector-leading digital 3D-printed teeth and arches of teeth, which give much greater accuracy to the real patient situation. You will engage in communication skills teaching with simulated patients where you can practise your skills and gain feedback from other students, tutors and highly trained simulated patients.

You will be allocated an academic personal tutor to help guide and support you through the course. Your relationship with your personal tutor is a very important one. You will work in partnership together to maximise your success, and ensure you feel you belong as a member of the vibrant academic community here at the School of Dentistry. Our online personal development tool will be used to encourage you to engage in reflective learning and action planning.

Clinical sessions are supervised by highly qualified dental educators, and you will treat patients across the Leeds Dental Hospital and outreach centres across the Yorkshire region. This will allow you to gain experience of a diverse range of patients and clinical needs, which will prepare you well for your future career.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

The course uses a variety of different academic, clinical and professional assessments. These are designed to ensure students can demonstrate they have met the General Dental Council learning outcomes required for registration as a dentist.

Our assessments are relevant and authentic to the work of your future career as a practising dentist. Academic type assessments are designed to test your knowledge, understanding, application and critical thinking. You will experience multiple choice type questions, short answer questions, essays, and research reports.

We also encourage teamwork between students by assessing group work, via methods such as group presentations. Clinical- type assessments test and monitor your clinical reasoning, clinical operative skills, communication skills and professional attitude throughout your clinical education. We use clinical scenarios, clinical skills gateway operative assessments, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), real patient case presentations and oral assessments.

Clinical progress throughout the course is continually monitored and recorded by our Clinical Assessment and Feedback System (CAFS). This is an online, digital system where you record your clinical experience, receive written feedback from clinical tutors and record your own reflections on your progress.

We encourage student reflection as a key skill throughout the course, and you will be asked to demonstrate your reflective skills in assessments. Assessments are designed to be inclusive and fair. We take great care to ensure that examination questions are clear, and we explain our marking approach and the use of marking descriptors to ensure that the required standards are maintained. Any approved disability allowances are taken into account in assessments.

By the end of the course, you’ll need to demonstrate competence to practise dentistry independently at the level of a GDC defined safe beginner.

Entry requirements

A-level: AAA Including Biology and Chemistry, excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking. You must achieve a Pass in the practical element of any science A-levels.

GCSE: A minimum of 6 GCSEs at Grade 6/B or higher including Chemistry, Biology (or Dual Science), English and Maths.

Other course specific tests:

UCAT

All applicants for the Dental Surgery course will be required to take UCAT for 2024 entry onwards. This test must be taken in the year of application. We do not accept other aptitude tests instead, eg BMAT or GAMSAT.

UCAT is a computer-based admissions test used by a consortium of UK and international universities to help select applicants for their medical and dental degree programmes. We strongly recommend you prepare for the test. There are many materials to help you, including on the UCAT website. https://www.ucat.ac.uk/

Health and disclosure and barring screening

All successful applicants will also need to pass health and disclosure and barring screening.

The University has a policy statement on students with criminal records. For the vast majority of students who are resident in the UK the record will be checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

The DBS check can only include background checks on your time in the UK. A criminal record check from other countries in addition to the UK DBS check may be required. Abroad this may be referred to as a "Certificate of Good Conduct" (CoGC), but the name varies.

To ensure a safe and professional environment for patients, you’ll also need to meet other requirements, including screening for communicable disease - read "Professional requirements" section.

Alternative qualification

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.

Typical Access to Leeds offer

A level: ABB (A in either Chemistry or Biology)

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0 overall, with no less than 7.5 in listening and speaking, and no less than 6.0 in writing and reading. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: To be confirmed

International: To be confirmed

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Additional cost information

Students will incur a direct cost for the following items:

Sensible shoes
Approximately £40 - These should be plain, non-slip, low heeled, wipeable and soft soled with enclosed toes and heels. Wipeable dark leather trainers are acceptable. Non-wipeable trainers, canvas shoes, open backed or open toed footwear, crocs, ‘ballet’-type slippers are not permitted. See the School Dress Policy for further information.

Padlock for locker (deposit)
£25 payable at registration (deposit will be returned to you on completion of your degree)

DentSoc (School of Dentistry's social society)
£80 (5 year membership) for Dental Surgery.

Travel expenses for external placements
Students in Year 4 will be paid £50 as a contribution towards their travel expenses. Please see the School’s travel policy which provides further details. GDP observational placement (Year 1 – 1 day), will incur travel expenses. Oral Surgery placement (Year 4 - 2 weeks) will incur travel expenses. Oral Medicine placement (Year 5 - 1 week) will incur travel expenses. (Accommodation may be provided for more distant Oral Surgery and Oral Surgery placements but this cannot be guaranteed). Year 4/5 Outreach placements - students are expected to pay their own travel costs to Beeston, Bradford and Chapel Allerton centres.

Exam resits
There will be a charge if you need to resit any examinations. Please see the additional costs webpage on the University website for more details.

Uniforms
You may incur additional costs cleaning your uniforms as they will need to be washed at a higher temperature and separately to other items.

Intercalation and Elective modules
There are options within the Dental Surgery programme to intercalate for a year to undertake an additional programme (following year 2 or 3) and/ or to undertake a professional development elective module.

These options may incur additional costs, information regarding this will be made available during the programme.

Costs associated with Dental Foundation Training
You will need to pay costs in order to commence DFT Training. These will include GDC registration, DBS checks and occupational health clearance.

School Funding Information

The School will fund the following:

• Four sets of uniforms for clinical use

• A name badge

• Disclosure & Barring Service Checks in year 1

• Locker padlock

• USB encrypted memory stick

• Full Library access

• Occupational health clearance (for entry to your programme)

• Handbooks: currently, School, programme and module handbooks are provided online. Clinical skills handbooks are provided individually to students.

Students may incur costs for the following items:

• Locker padlock - You will not be charged for a padlock but if you lose it or fail to return at the end of your programme then you will be charged £25.

• USB Encrypted Memory Stick (Year 3 onwards) - You will not be charged for a USB stick but if you lose it or fail to return at the end of your programme then you will be charged £25.

• Student Uniforms - If you lose or damage an item of uniform you will be charged for a replacement £10 per item.

• Student name badges - If you lose your name badge you will be charged £5 for a replacement.

• Occupational Health Checks Non-attendance at an occupational health appointment - £50 per missed appointment.

• Loss or damage to clinical skills models - Costs will vary, students will be informed of replacement costs for any items damaged through negligence or lost.

• Clinical skills locker key - You will not be charged for a key but if you fail to return the key to the clinical skills department you will be charged £15.

• Disclosure and Barring Service - You will be charged if you lose your DBS certificate and you require a replacement.

Costs are subject to change throughout the course. However, you will be informed if this is the case.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

As a dental student, you can apply for the standard government loans and support package for the first four years of your course. In year five onwards, you become eligible instead for the NHS student bursary scheme.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

The application closing date for Dental Surgery is earlier than for many other courses. The closing date for 2024 entry is 16 October 2023. The School of Dentistry will not accept applications after the UCAS closing date. We do not participate in the UCAS Extra scheme or in Clearing.

Read more about applying or contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team for further information

Deferred entry

You’re welcome to postpone your start date by 12 months, if you want to. This won’t affect how we judge your application, but you do need to tell us in advance, in your UCAS application. If you don’t do this, but ask for a deferral later, we may not agree to it.

Equal opportunities

The School of Dentistry operates an equal opportunities policy and supports widening participation. Whilst some health conditions and disabilities may prevent admission, the University takes a positive view and tries to meet the needs of all students. You can find University equality policies on the Equality Service website.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Selection process

The main stages in our selection process are:

1. Evaluation of academic qualifcations
2. Assessment of application, taking into account academic and non-academic criteria, including UCAT results
3. Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
4. Offer

Interviews

Interviews are scheduled in February for Home and international candidates.

We cannot facilitate interviews outside of this period, so if you apply you must make sure you are free to attend in this timeframe.

If you’re unable to attend your allocated interview you should contact us as we may be able to change your appointment to another day or time during the interview period, but this is not guaranteed. We would only agree to this for exceptional circumstances; for example, you cannot attend our interview because you have previously agreed to an interview elsewhere at the same time.

We interview using MMIs instead of traditional panel interviews. In MMIs you move around a series of interview stations. At each station, you undertake a task or answer a few short questions, for which you are scored. The scores at each station are independent of the other scores. Afterwards your scores are computed to give us your overall score and ranking.

The MMIs help us to assess your attitudes, communication skills, empathy, analytic skills and ethical reasoning, attributes that are in accordance with the NHS Constitution values-based recruitment. Some stations may be held in clinics, so you also see our working environment. Most applicants tell us they find the multiple mini interviews a positive experience.

Admissions policy

School of Dentistry Admissions Policy 2023

This course is taught by

School of Dentistry

Contact us

School of Dentistry Student Education Office

Email: denadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

Employment prospects for dentists are good. After graduating and successfully registering with the General Dental Council (GDC), most graduates take up a one- or two-year salaried dental foundation training post. This is mandatory if you want a career in the NHS. Dentists must undertake continuing professional education to qualify for GDC registration each year.

As a qualified dentist there are a range of opportunities open to you, including academia (teaching and research) and practising in general dental practice, hospital, community and corporate settings and the armed forces.

There are also clinical and non-clinical opportunities at non-governmental organisations worldwide and other international agencies.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

Study abroad and work placements

Work placements

You will engage in a range of placement opportunities, to develop your clinical experience. Clinical placements take place in the Leeds Dental Institute (onsite with the University and Dental School) and at outreach centres across Leeds and further afield in the Yorkshire region.

You will undertake the clinical management of a wide diversity of patients and patient needs across these centres. Hospital placements will give you insight into the medical and dental management of patients. Placements at specialist orthodontics dental practices will give you an insight into the management of patients with orthodontics needs. This range of experience will prepare you for your future professional career as an independent practising dentist.

In the senior years of the programme (Year 4 and 5) outreach placements provide longitudinal experience where you will go out to a centre for one day a week for a period of about 2 to 3 months. You will only travel to one outreach placement at a time but will be expected to attend multiple centres over the course of their programme.

Other short placements may also be included in the programme for Oral Surgery or Orthodontic experience. You will be expected to make your own direct travel arrangements to the placement centres, except where free bus travel is provided departing from the Dental School.

You must be able to attend the timetabled placements and it is expected that you will plan your accommodation and travel to meet these requirements of the programme.

Professional requirements

Hepatitis B and health screening

Entry to the course depends on satisfactory health screening.

It is a Department of Health requirement that all healthcare workers who come into contact with patients should not be infectious carriers of Hepatitis B, C or HIV viruses and should accept vaccination against Hepatitis B.

We advise all candidates to seek vaccination with their medical practitioner against Hepatitis B viruses before starting the course because they will have early contact with patients.

The School will organise an immunisation schedule for students who have not already completed a successful course of vaccination before enrolment.

Applicants who have been immunised by their medical practitioner will be required to provide documentary proof of immunisation on registration. Simple blood tests will be required to confirm that students are not a carrier of the Hepatitis B or C viruses.

The General Dental Council (GDC)

The course is accredited by the General Dental Council (GDC). The GDC is the regulatory body for dental professionals in the UK. All dental hygienists and therapists must be registered with the GDC to work in the UK. Successful completion of the course allows graduates to apply for GDC registration. The GDC quality assures all courses which lead to registration as a dental professional.

All graduates must have demonstrated they have met all GDC Preparing for Practice learning outcomes, including all academic and clinical experience requirements. In addition, the GDC must be assured that all graduates are Fit to Practise in relation to health and professional conduct. Our School has processes to ensure all graduates have met these requirements through academic and clinical assessments, as well as the continual monitoring of professionalism and conduct.

Code of Professional Conduct

Our School has a Code of Professional Conduct which it expects all students to sign-up to each year. It is important that students have awareness of the standards expected by the School and the General Dental Council. The General Dental Council has published guidance on professionalism (“Student Fitness to Practise” and “Standards for Dental Professionals”) which you can find on the GDC website.

Dress and personal appearance

The School of Dentistry has a dress policy to promote a clinical and professional appearance within our School and clinical placement facilities. Your dress and personal appearance must meet public expectations of a professional person and there are clinical dress requirements which must be followed.