Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at RCSI will be the first community-based undergraduate dentistry programme in Ireland. This approach reflects a major international trend in dentistry and other healthcare professions with clinical training shifting from traditional hospitals to community settings.
By rooting education in the community and in broader healthcare facilities, our programme will give RCSI-educated dentists the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of the needs of different groups in the population and to learn how to engage with the healthcare professionals they will work with in the future.
The five-year full-time programme will be underpinned by a curriculum built on the award-winning Peninsula Dental School programme at the University of Plymouth.
It uses a blend of teaching and learning methods, combining clinical skills training with the acquisition of knowledge, skills and professional attributes. Students will experience contact with patients from their first year, giving them the chance to develop their clinical and communication skills at the earliest opportunities.
The first two years will lay down the scientific and technical foundations upon which the later, more clinically intensive years of the course are built. Across Years 2 to 5, students will gain extensive experience of a wide range of oral and general dental conditions, with continued reference to the scientific base underpinning dental practice.
Contemporary practice
The later years of the programme will support students to develop an understanding of the patient journey through primary, secondary and specialist dental care. Year 5 will provide a thorough grounding for contemporary practice by ensuring students gain the skills they will need to have as a general dentist immediately after their graduation.
Small-group teaching will be a key feature of our students’ experience. They will also attend plenaries, practical sessions and workshops. The RCSI Simulated Dental Learning Environment, located in Sandyford, will enable students to develop and consolidate their clinical skills before treating patients safely.
It will be equipped with an extensive range of models, equipment and state-of-the-art patient simulators, providing a protected environment where skills can be built. It will also host a community dental clinic or facility. A further dental education facility is planned for Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, where RCSI’s graduate entry medicine students are based.
The programme is designed to facilitate students to realise their potential as a healthcare professional. We pride ourselves on producing graduates who are knowledgeable in the science of their discipline and highly skilled well-rounded practitioners.
Our students will have access to a range of career and personal supports aimed at helping them to build the resilience and resolve to succeed in their studies and to thrive personally and professionally as they advance in their careers. They will be encouraged to get involved in any of our 85 student societies and sports clubs and enjoy a vibrant student life.