Dentistry Graduate/Professional Entry Programme

Course detail Description

On this course, you will be exempted from the first year of the standard five-year BDS on the basis of your previous studies. You will undertake a two-to-three-week preparatory course in September before joining year two of the five-year course.

Teaching

The integrated nature of our course means that basic science teaching will relate to clinical practice and clinical teaching will be underpinned by scientific understanding. Our course emphasises whole patient care, which requires consideration of the patients’ total dental and medical needs, rather than just the provision of individual items of treatment.

Our working environment is structured into cross-year undergraduate teams so that students benefit from working and studying with the same group of teachers and peers throughout their time at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences.

Course stage

Percentage of time in scheduled learning and teaching activities

Percentage of time in guided independent study

Percentage of time on placements

Year 1

34%

56%

10%

Year 2

11%

34%

55%

Year 3

16%

27%

57%

Year 4

31%

7%

62%

Assessment

Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written/practical examinations. Forms of assessment may typically include written (short answer) examination, online (MCQ) examination, poster presentation, OSCE (objective structured clinical examination), structured clinical reasoning examination, special projects and reports which must be successfully completed to progress through the course.

Whilst there is ongoing in-course assessment throughout the programme which must be passed, the written and clinical examinations contribute 100% to your final mark.

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Structure

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4

Year 1 King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on this website for updates.

Year one

You will be given the opportunity throughout your first year to review topics studied in year one of the standard five-year course. The theme of your first year is the dentate patient, applied basic dental science, and preparation for prevention of oral disease and the treatment of patients. You will also study integrated courses covering the development, structure and function of the nervous system, as a basis for understanding the aspects involved in dentistry, such as pain and anxiety; oral biology, including the influence of nutrition and endocrine factors; and pathology, which covers the study of the cellular and molecular basis of human disease.

During this year you will be developing basic dental clinical skills, treating your own adult patients, providing preventive advice and undertaking straightforward procedures in periodontology and conservative dentistry. You will also learn dental materials science and behavioural science.

Required Modules

The following topics comprise the year one module (150 credits):

• BDS Communication in Dentistry

• BDS Management and Leadership

• BDS Professionalism in Health Care

• BDS Social and Behavioural Sciences

• BDS Dental Public Health

• BDS Oral Surgery

• BDS Radiology

• BDS Dental Material Science

• BDS Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

• BDS Care of the Dental Patient

• BDS Conservative and Minimum Intervention Dentistry

• BDS Science -Oral and Craniofacial Biology

• BDS Periodontology

• BDS Prosthodontics

• BDS Human Disease

Optional Modules There are no optional modules.

Year 2

Year two

In year two, you will continue to learn about all aspects of human disease and study the replacement of missing teeth. You will learn about fixed and removable prostheses, such as dental implants. There is also a technical component to these courses to ensure you understand how prostheses are constructed and how to deal with problems associated with their fit and function. You will devote significant time each week to the clinical care of patients including tuition in conservative dentistry and prosthodontics. You will also begin to learn about and perform the extraction of teeth and minor oral surgery.

Required Modules

The following topics comprise the year two module (180 credits):

• BDS Communication in Dentistry

• BDS Management and Leadership

• BDS Professionalism in Health Care

• BDS Social and Behavioural Sciences

• BDS Dental Public Health

• BDS Oral Surgery

• BDS Radiology

• BDS Dental Material Science

• BDS Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

• BDS Conservative and Minimum Intervention Dentistry

• BDS Periodontology

• BDS Prosthodontics

• BDS Human Disease

Optional Modules There are no optional modules.

Year 3

Year three

In year three, you will spend most of the week providing dental care for patients. You will continue to learn about and perform more advanced procedures in restorative dentistry. During this year, you will gain a strong foundation in periodontology, child dental healthcare and orthodontics. As you become more proficient at dentistry, you will treat patients under conscious sedation. Learning continues in the human disease strand of the curriculum and you are introduced to an ongoing course in oral disease that will incorporate pathology and medicine relevant to disease in and around the mouth. Under the supervision of specialist teachers, you will be able to treat patients with more complex dental problems.

Required Modules

The following topics comprise the year three module (165 credits):

• BDS Communication in Dentistry

• BDS Professionalism in Health Care

• BDS Social and Behavioural Sciences

• BDS Dental Public Health

• BDS Oral Disease

• BDS Oral Surgery

• BDS Radiology

• BDS Conservative and Minimum Intervention Dentistry

• BDS Periodontology

• BDS Orthodontics

• BDS Paediatric Dentistry

• BDS Outreach (clinical placements) Optional Modules There are no optional modules.

Year 4

Year four

The final year consolidates all you have learned up to this point. You will continue to provide comprehensive dental care for adult and child patients. A specific feature of our course, our structured placements enable you to work on a regular basis at purpose-built clinics away from the main campus amongst diverse patient populations. There, you will gain valuable experience working in a dental team with dental nurses, hygienists and therapists to prepare yourself effectively for Dental Foundation Training and future practice.

Required Modules

The following topics comprise the year four module (180 credits):

• BDS Communication in Dentistry

• BDS Professionalism in Health Care

• BDS Social and Behavioural Sciences

• BDS Dental Public Health

• BDS Oral Disease

• BDS Oral Surgery

• BDS Radiology

• BDS Special Care Dentistry

• BDS Conservative and Minimum Intervention Dentistry

• BDS Periodontology

• BDS Prosthodontics

• BDS Orthodontics

• BDS Paediatric Dentistry

• BDS Outreach (clinical placements)

Optional Modules There are no optional modules.