The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has awarded funding for the new Bachelor of Dental Surgery at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences to provide 20 new dentistry places per annum for Irish/EEA students from 2025 onwards.

The funding for RCSI was announced today by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation, Research and Science Patrick O’Donovan TD as part of an overall funding package of €130m to increase healthcare places in Ireland through the creation of six new programmes, following recommendations from the HEA.

The new Bachelor of Dental Surgery, a five-year community-based programme, will welcome its first student in take in September 2025 and will qualify the first cohort of dentists in 2030. With a world-class curriculum in place, staff recruitment well advanced and facilities being prepared, the RCSI Dentistry programme will be the first of the supported programmes to be available to CAO students.

At an event to mark the announcement, Minister O’Donovan said: “I am excited to see the impact these new projects will have on the health sector and those who avail of their services. They truly have the potential to revolutionise our higher education landscape and provide more opportunities for students to follow their passions in healthcare and medicine.”

Professor Cathal Kelly, Vice-Chancellor, RCSI said: “Our commitment to launch a Bachelor of Dental Surgery reflects the importance of dentistry to human health and the need to increase access to dental care for patients, in keeping with the Government’s National Oral Health policy. We welcome the funding announced today and we are grateful to Minister O’Donovan, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority for their support. This is landmark day as we progress with our plans to welcome our first intake of students in 2025.”

HEA CEO Dr Alan Wall said: “Today’s announcement demonstrates the ability of the higher education and research system to respond swiftly and effectively to evolving national priorities and skills needs. The new programmes announced today reflect the commitment of institutions to meeting society’s needs and to enhancing the range of programmes on offer to prospective students.”

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery at RCSI will be the first community-based dentistry degree 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. The programme will significantly increase the number of dentistry training places available nationally and expand access to dental services.

Its curriculum, which has been developed in partnership with the award-winning Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth, will use a blend of teaching and learning methods, combining clinical skills training with the acquisition of knowledge, skills and professional attributes. It has been specifically designed to facilitate authentic and contextual learning with students experiencing contact with patients from their first year, giving them the chance to develop their clinical and communication skills at the earliest opportunities.

A Dental Education Facility is currently in construction at Sandyford, Dublin, and planning permission has been granted for a second facility at Connolly Hosptial, Blanchardstown. These facilities 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. They will also host a community dental clinic or facility.

RCSI has a strong heritage in dental education and training, having run an undergraduate dentistry programme between 1878-1977, granting a Licentiate in Dental Surgery (LDSRCSI) practicing qualification, and appointing the first Professor of Dentistry in England or Ireland in 1884.

The funding for RCSI is part of an overall funding package of €130 million unlocked from the National Training Fund to support the growth of key healthcare disciplines, addressing critical workforce shortages and enhancing healthcare education across the country.