Oral Surgery MSc

Course overview

Our Master of Science in Oral Surgery provides a unique and highly relevant approach to clinical oral surgery. The MSc is delivered by leading clinicians and scientists who will help you develop the skills and knowledge to provide high quality, safe and effective clinical care, based on the latest clinical evidence.

The clinical content of the programme includes the management of patients with complex medical problems; simple and complex extractions; management of the complications of oral surgery; surgical removal of roots and unerupted teeth; management of wisdom teeth and odontogenic cysts; and the diagnosis and management of facial pain.

Your clinical knowledge and skills will be underpinned by an understanding of the latest evidence-based practice and clinical guidelines. Your understanding of research methods and interpretation of research data will be enhanced through tutorials, seminars and journal clubs, equipping you with the skills to produce your own independent research dissertation.

Design and provision of a modern clinical service requires a deep understanding of the principles of clinical governance, including clinical audit. On this programme you will learn how to apply the audit cycle to your own clinical practice and compare your outcomes to the best available standards. You will also gain experience in application of service improvement methods. These techniques developed in other industries have been adopted widely by healthcare providers.

Find out more about studying at the School of Dentistry.

Clinical highlights

• Hands-on experience of treating patients under local anaesthetic and general anaesthetic
• Dental radiology
• Medical emergencies
• Management and treatment planning of patients with complex medical problems

Research highlights

• Introduction to the skills needed for conducting scientific research, both qualitative and quantitative, including literature searching and critical analysis, project management, ethical issues and data analysis using appropriate statistical methods
• Formulate ideas and hypotheses to develop and prepare an individual, original research dissertation

Clinical simulation

Before treating patients, you will learn the principles of soft and hard tissue management on “phantom head” models.

Clinical treatment facilities

You will treat patients under supervision of oral surgery specialists. Clinical teaching will include treatment under local anaesthetic and general anaesthetic with low student to staff ratios that will enhance your learning experience.

You will have access to dedicated postgraduate study room with IT and social facilities.

Course details

This programme is only available to study full-time.

The programme runs from September to July (10 months).

The course is divided into three sections:

• Clinical Oral Surgery.
• Audit and Service Improvement.
• Research.

The clinical component of the programme runs through the entire course and includes the key modules - Clinical Practice of Oral Surgery, Dental Radiology and Medical Emergencies. These modules include hands-on clinical simulation and patient treatment experience.

The Audit and Service Improvement module includes a service provision report and a clinical audit project that will be undertaken in clinics. The service improvement report allows you to examine an aspect of a clinical service in detail and consider how the service might be improved.

Understanding research methods and ethics is key to understanding the scientific basis of clinical care and new clinical developments. The research modules on the programme will equip you with the skills to understand and appraise research developments.

Year 1 compulsory modules

All modules are compulsory.

Clinical Practice of Oral Surgery (60 credits) – This module will establish the scientific basis of modern clinical oral surgery and the development of clinical guidelines. Particular attention will be paid to the aetiology, prevention and management of surgical complications and the safe provision of oral surgery for patients with medical co-morbidities. You will be introduced to the clinical and diagnostic skills required for effective clinical management of patients.

This is developed throughout the module building on technical and theoretical knowledge to enable application in the real world of clinical practice. You will develop your technical skills and be introduced to more advanced techniques for management of, for example, surgical endodontics, odontogenic cysts and benign dentoalveolar pathology. You will further develop your diagnostic and communication skills in assessment and management of complex oro-facial symptoms and pathology. You will use patient and peer feedback to guide your own clinical development and build confidence in your clinical skills.

Dental Radiology (15 credits) –This module will provide a comprehensive overview of the ionising radiation regulations in the UK and their application in practice. The use of 2D and 3D imaging modalities employed in the dental and maxillofacial region will be explored including digital radiography, Cone Beam CT and MRI, together with their use in the diagnosis of common pathologies in the dental and maxillofacial region.

Medical Emergencies (15 credits) – This module prepares you for the management of a medical emergency in the dental setting. Hybrid delivery methods provide an interactive, multi-modal experience, blending theory and practice to ensure skill transfer to the clinical setting.

Feedback and reflection, including audio visual feedback, peer feedback and Complete Assessment Feedback System (CAFS) reflection, is threaded through the module to support you in your personal development when considering the complexities of medical emergency management in the dental setting.

Audit and Service Improvement (15 credits) – This module will enable you to use clinical audit to improve your clinical practice and make a positive difference to your patients. It will include information on how to identify suitable topics for audit, how to plan, collect different types of data and how to compile, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information, how to implement change and when to re-audit.

An audit project will be undertaken and reported. This module will also introduce you to the concepts of clinical service improvement. Working with examples from your own clinical practice, you will consider the various ways the success of a service might be judged and consider the barriers and implications of making changes to the way a service is provided.

Research Methods, Ethics and Statistics (30 credits) – This module offers the basic skills for conducting a scientific research project. It includes training you on project management, searching relevant information, reviewing evidence, academic writing, understanding ethic issues and safety, and being able to analyse data collected from research using appropriate statistical methods.

Individual Project (45 credits) –The preparation of an individual project leading to a written dissertation provides practical experience in independent research which gives a solid foundation for further research. You will agree and undertake an individual project which may draw holistically from the programme modules such as capstone project, or be a traditional research project. This will deepen your understanding of the philosophy of research, include a literature review, methodology, with consideration of ethics and ethical approval, as well as good clinical and research practice.

You may gain experience of working within research groups, with clinical and non-clinical colleagues. Skills will be enhanced in literature searching, data management, interpretation and the critical appraisal of published research as well as safety and ethical issues. There will be opportunities for you to develop your experience of the presentation of data in both written and oral formats.

Learning and teaching

You will learn through a blend of lectures, seminars, tutorials, simulated and patient facing clinics, complemented by collaborative work, scenario-based and e-learning.

Digital technology is used in learning and teaching from our virtual learning environment – MINERVA. This provides access to teaching materials, literature searching via the online library facilities, help with preparing your own presentations and assignments and research. Active learning is essential throughout the programme to maximise your learning opportunities, allowing you to fulfil your own potential.

You will be taught alongside students from different countries and will have the opportunity to share your experiences with them. Leeds Dental Institute is the only Dental Hospital in West Yorkshire, which has a multicultural and diverse population of 2.3 million people. Our patients come from a wide variety of backgrounds and speak a number of different languages. The diversity of our patients, staff and student population is central to all our clinical, teaching and research activity.

The MSc in Oral Surgery has enrolled students from the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Far East. Student numbers are low to ensure adequate supervision and support in your learning. Many School committees have student representation, giving you the opportunity to influence school processes and decisions.

Collaborative work is an important part of our teaching programme, encouraging you to work and interact with your classmates and develop your teamwork skills.

The opportunity to have hands-on experience of delivering clinical treatment is a major attraction of this programme for our students. You will be taught by specialists in maxillofacial and oral surgery with a wealth of clinical experience.

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

Assessments on this programme have been designed to be authentic in reflecting the skills required to be an effective clinician and oral surgeon at a masterly level.

We will use a variety of written assessment techniques to demonstrate academic literacy including Short Answer Questions, a dissertation of your choice and reflective clinical logs. Your written and verbal communication skills will also be assessed in assignments, class debates, clinical reports and case presentations. All of these will help to demonstrate the professional competencies, that is, knowledge, skill and behaviours, expected of a clinician with a special interest in oral surgery.

In your clinical teaching there will be an emphasis on reflection and feedback from tutors, peers and patients which will contribute to your clinical log, along with a record of your surgical and learning experiences. Throughout the programme you will be supported by your teachers to enhance your learning experience and progression throughout the programme.

Fieldwork details

The Audit and Service Improvement module will include observation of activity in clinics and operating theatres. This will be in addition to your clinical teaching.

Applying

Entry requirements

• Primary dental qualification that is acceptable to the University of Leeds: BDS, BChD or equivalent.
• Two years full-time (or equivalent) post-graduation clinical experience in hospital dentistry or General Dental Practice or successful completion of the PGCert in Oral Surgery from the University of Leeds.
• Two references are required: one academic reference from a registered dental practitioner and one reference from an employer.

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 residents in the UK the record will be checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

For international students

The DBS check can only include background checks on your time in the UK. If you have been resident in the UK for less than 3 years, then a criminal record check from your home country is required in addition to the UK DBS check. 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 the section below.

Occupational health

Any offer of a place to study Oral Surgery is conditional upon a satisfactory confidential occupational health assessment, which will include a health questionnaire, and if necessary further telephone consultation and/or an appointment with an occupational health clinician. Screening for serious communicable disease, (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and a review of immunisation status and needs, which includes COVID-19, will also be arranged before beginning your studies.

English language requirements

IELTS 7.0 overall, with no less than 6.5 in every skill. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks). 

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional. 

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Application deadline: 30 May 2025

Interviews will take place on the following dates:

Monday 4th November 2024
Monday 2th December 2024
Monday 6th Jan 2025
Monday 27th Jan 2025
Monday 31st March 2025
Monday 12th May 2025
Monday 2nd June 2025

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page will take you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

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.

Admissions policy

Taught Admissions Policy 2025-26

This course is taught by

School of Dentistry

Contact us

School of Dentistry Taught Postgraduate Programme Admissions team

Email: denadmissions@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Fees

UK: £31,000 (Total)

International: £56,750 (Total)

Deposit

You must pay a £3,000 deposit when you accept your offer to secure your place on the course.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Additional cost information

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.

Further additional cost information

One clinical uniform (top and trousers) will be provided; however, in the event these are lost, you will be expected to pay for a replacement at an estimated cost of £10.00 per item, ie approximately £20.00 for a top and trousers.

Upon arrival at the School a locker will be allocated with a padlock to secure the locker. If the padlock is misplaced a fee of £25.00 will be required to replace the padlock.

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 on our living costs and budgeting page.

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 may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Career opportunities

This programme will build your clinical experience and confidence in oral surgery and equip you with knowledge and skills that will allow you to take your clinical career forward. You will have a greater ability to critically appraise published research and professional guidelines which underpin evidenced-based practice.

The level of expertise you achieve on the programme will be influenced by your previous knowledge, experience in the field and your active approach to learning. Your career choices upon completion of the programme will also be affected by your registration with regulatory bodies such as the UK General Dental Council.

Upon successful completion, this programme does not provide/demonstrate eligibility to register with the GDC UK as a dental care professional or as a specialist in Oral Surgery.

Alumni of this programme have gone on to develop their own independent oral surgery practice, progressed in specialist teaching posts and progressed into NHS Core Training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

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.

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 about Careers support.