Dentist : Training

Once qualified, and before being able to practise, dentists must register with The General Dental Council , the profession's regulatory body. Dentists must maintain a professional attitude and follow a professional code of ethics in order to maintain registration with the GDC.

After graduation, if you wish to become a general dental practitioner (GDP), to work in the Community Dental Service (CDS) - called the Salaried Primary Dental Care Service (SPDCS) in England - or to work as a junior hospital dentist, you should complete a period of vocational training (VT) as a Vocational Dental Practitioner (VDP). This is a one-year programme within an approved dental practice and provides the aspects of vocational training that all dentists require if they are to work in The National Health Service (NHS) .

Although the training varies by region, VDPs ordinarily work four days a week in the practice, initially under supervision, then increasingly more independently. They learn to manage teams of people by working with dental nurses, receptionists, hygienists and others, and to manage the surgery as a business. VDPs also attend a day release course of lectures and demonstrations, usually run in the dental departments of hospitals. In some practices, particularly in more rural areas, students will work five days a week in the practice and attend the courses on block release. All students are required to keep a log of their progress and undergo performance appraisals according to set guidelines. Following successful completion of this course, dentists may enter a practice as either an associate or an assistant. An assistant is employed on a salaried basis and an associate becomes a self-employed member of a practice, working for the practice owners.

In addition to the VDP, students can also undertake foundation training (FT), this comprises VT as above, but also a further year of working in a hospital setting. This is very relevant if you are considering a future career as a hospital consultant.

Courses for specialist qualifications in areas such as orthodontics, implant dentistry and aesthetic dentistry are available. Consult the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) , the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS)  and the British Dental Association (BDA)  for details.

On-going learning is also delivered through e-Den, via e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) .