Admission Requirements

Apply

To apply to this course, click on the relevant Apply Link below

EU Applicants

Read the information about how to apply, then apply directly to CAO

Mature Student - Supplementary Application Form

Read the information about how to apply as a mature student, then select the link below to complete the TCD Supplementary Application Form for mature students.
• Dental Science, 5 Year(s) Full Time, Closing Date: 08/FEB/2013

Non-EU Applicants

• Dental Science, 5 Year(s) Full Time, Closing Date: 01/FEB/2013

Advanced Entry Applications

Read the information about how to apply for Advanced Entry, then select the link below to apply.
• Dental Science, Closing Date: 08/FEB/2013

Course overview

This five-year programme is designed to ensure that graduates can safely and effectively deliver the full range of primary dental care, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral and dental diseases. Treatment involves areas such as the restoration of damaged teeth, the correction of irregularities, the replacement of missing teeth and surgical procedures such as the removal of teeth.

Is this the right course for you?

Yes, if healthcare in general interests you and if you would like to specifically focus on oral healthcare and its impact on individuals. The nature of dentistry makes it essential that you also have an ability to build a caring and professional relationship with patients, co-workers and the wider community. You should also enjoy undertaking clinical practice that is physically and mentally demanding as it requires considerable attention to detail with small margins for error. The course is long (five years) and intense as the academic year is much longer than for students of other courses.

Why study at Trinity College?

This course is based in the Dublin Dental University Hospital at Trinity College. The clinical facilities are of a very high standard with emphasis on the use of information technology. The curriculum is delivered in a problem-based learning (PBL) format, which aims to provide you with the skills to continuously evaluate and update your knowledge and clinical practice through your professional career. The class sizes are small ensuring that students receive considerable staff input into their progress throughout the programme.

Problem-based learning (PBL)

Problem-based learning (PBL) is designed to encourage students to learn subjects such as chemistry, biochemistry and physiology in an integrated manner and in a context that is relevant to the future clinical situations in which the knowledge will be applied. Structured problems are set to meet specified learning objectives and students organise themselves (under supervision) to undertake research to find out about how to achieve the learning objectives. Problem-based learning also encourages students to engage in self-directed learning and aims to provide graduates with the skills necessary for life-long learning which is a requirement for all health care professionals.

Course content

The course is delivered mainly through small-group tutorials (PBL) that consist of student-led discussions on topics and problems presented and facilitated by staff. These topics tie in with the development of the practical and clinical skills that you will develop in laboratories and clinics. Lectures, demonstrations, simulations, audiovisual and e-learning opportunities are also provided as appropriate.

You will provide patient care under the strict supervision of qualified dental staff from the second year onwards.

The first dental year

During the first dental year you will cover the following subject areas (approximately 30 hours per week):

• PBL tutorials (6 hours/week)
• Anatomy workshops and lectures
• Physics project-based learning
• Introduction to dentistry
• Computer applications (ECDL)
• Behavioural science
• Ethics and law

The second dental year

The objectives of the second dental year are to ensure that you develop an understanding of:

• Normal function at cell and system levels and the integration of body systems
• Bacteria, viruses and their relationship to the human immune system
• Clinical signs and symptoms of systemic and oral disease
• Basic clinical skills necessary for the treatment of patients
• The principles of experimental design, data collection and analysis
• Relevant elements of the biological and medical sciences appropriate to the needs of a practising dentist
• Health and safety

In addition you will develop communication skills with particular reference to patient care, learn how to interpret and explain the clinical signs and symptoms of systemic and oral disease with particular reference to dental practice and begin to practice the clinical skills necessary for the treatment of patients. Courses in the second year are complemented by knowledge of the relevant elements of the biological and medical sciences appropriate to the needs of a practising dentist.

Clinical training begins in the second year with students learning the vital basic skills of history taking, examination and diagnosis. Approximately half way through the year you will start providing very simple treatments for patients.

Years three, four and five

During the later years of the course you will be encouraged to take an approach to the management of oral health and disease which is based on the best available scientific evidence. In tandem with this, you will also need to be aware of related general healthcare issues for individuals and communities. In these three years you will provide more complex patient care.

Topics you will study in years three, four and five include:

• Human diseases, including both medical and surgical aspects
• Public dental health with an emphasis on disease prevention and epidemiology, as well as on the care of special needs patients
• Children's dental health which includes orthodontics (braces) and dental care specific to children
• Restorative dentistry which involves fillings and crowns; periodontology which includes treatment for gum disease
• Prosthodontics which involves the various type of artificial replacements for missing teeth
• Experimental design, data collection and analysis

Assessment

In keeping with the PBL-style curriculum, a wide variety of assessment methods are used in all years. There are end-of-term integrated written assessments, practical tests, skills tests of competence, clinical examinations, written reports and oral/verbal presentations. The written assessments include short essay, short answer and multiple choice type questions.

Study abroad

Students in the fourth year can participate in an Erasmus exchange programme with dental schools in Norway, Sweden, Between the fourth and fifth dental years, some students undertake voluntary placements in a wide variety of international locations such as developing countries.

Career opportunities

While most graduates enter general practice, many also enter vocational training schemes in a variety of countries. A smaller number of openings exist in dental schools and hospitals for house officers or registrars. These positions can lead on to training in specialist areas. Other possibilities include postgraduate research or a university teaching career.

Your degree and professional practice (B.A., B.Dent.Sc)

The degree Bachelor of Dental Science (B.Dent.Sc) conferred by Trinity College Dublin entitles EU citizens to register immediately after graduation as a dentist on the Register of the Dental Council of Ireland and they may also register with the regulatory bodies of other countries in the European Union (such as the UK, France, Germany, etc.).

Graduates who wish to practice in countries outside the EU such as the USA or Canada may be required to undergo additional training and pass specified examinations.

Further information

www.dentalhospital.ie (from the main menu select: Education, Undergraduate programmes)
Tel: +353 1 896 1789 / 1690
E-mail: info@dental.tcd.ie