Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy

Year 1

Laying the foundations
First year modules introduce the basics of dentistry with five of the six modules being taught with the dental surgery students fostering the importance of dental team working. You will be involved in the clinical environment from the start of the course. Later in the year after completing operative skills teaching for local anaesthetic, gum disease and preventive care, you will progress to the provision of treatment of your own patients.

Throughout the course you will spend an increasing proportion of your time in clinic. Initially you will be treating mostly adult patients and then progressing to treating both adults and children by the end of year two.

Year 2

Building experience and knowledge
You will build on scientific knowledge gained in year 1 and further develop your operative clinical skills in relation to restorative dentistry for both adults and children. Clinical experience will initially be focused on treatment associated with practice as a dental hygienist, with the introduction of patients requiring dental therapy later in the year.

Year 3

Amassing experience and the culmination of your degree
The completion of a final year project will provide evidence of your understanding of research and helps develop your skills in scientific research and in applying principles of research to your project. Clinical experience will include assessment and treatment of more complex dental disease including restorative treatment of children and adults. Personal and professional development will continue in this year focusing on preparation for the world of work developing the skills necessary to practice as a dental hygienist and dental therapist as a leading member of the dental team.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 1

Compulsory modules

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

Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Applied Dental Hygiene 20 credits
• Clinical Skills 20 credits
• Personal and Professional Development 2 20 credits
• Developing Clinical Practice 2 60 credits

Year 3

Compulsory modules

• Applied Dental Therapy 20 credits
• The World of Work and the Dental Team 10 credits
• Final Year Research Project 30 credits
• Developing Clinical Practice 3 60 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy BSc in the course catalogue

Broadening your academic horizons

At Leeds we want you to benefit from the depth and breadth of the University's expertise, to prepare you for success in an ever-changing and challenging world. On this course you broaden your learning through core and/or optional modules. Find out more on the Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching

You will build your knowledge and skill through a range of learning and teaching methods.

Lectures, seminars, tutorials and e-learning are a core part of your formal learning. Self-directed study also plays a vital part and you’ll keep a reflective portfolio and your own personal development plan.

Clinical dentistry is our focus throughout the course and you’ll be developing your professional and personal attributes from the outset.

The School of Dentistry benefited from a major refurbishment in 2017 and is undertaking ongoing improvements to our resources. Facilities include clinical skills classrooms, where you develop and hone your skills before using them in practice, and three-dimensional virtual reality trainers which give tactile feedback. The School is a world leader in the development of this facility.

The dental hospital provides outstanding facilities for education and patient care. Local demand for dental treatment at the hospital and our outreach clinics ensures that you gain broad and extensive clinical experience.

We have an excellent Health Sciences Library with a team of librarians to support you.

Assessment

We have an international reputation for the quality of our comprehensive assessment processes. They incorporate: essays, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, extended critical research reports, clinical and practical tests. Verbal examinations are part of some assessments, as it’s essential you can communicate effectively too.

By the end of the course, you will need to demonstrate competence to practise independently.