RCSI's School of Dentistry has entered into an agreement with Henry Schein, the world’s largest provider of healthcare solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners, to provide a wide range of equipment for students enrolled in the University's new Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme.

Through Henry Schein Ireland, the company will supply world-class dental equipment to RCSI’s Dental Education Centre in Sandyford, Dublin which is currently under construction, and will welcome its first students in September 2025.

The Centre will be equipped with an extensive range of dental equipment, such as dental chairs and state-of-the-art patient simulators, supplied and installed by Henry Schein Ireland, providing a protected environment where clinical skills can be acquired and developed. It will also host a community-based clinical facility, which will include 12 dental chairs for treating patients. The Centre’s simulation unit will have 55 phantom heads, and a dental laboratory to support the dental students’ learning journey.

Professor Albert Leung, Head of the RCSI School of Dentistry, said: “We are delighted to enter into this agreement with Henry Schein Ireland. We are committed to ensuring our students have the opportunity to be trained using state-of-the-art equipment in an excellent environment during their education. Our clinical simulation facilities will be amongst the most advanced in Ireland, reflecting our ambition to deliver a world-class education experience for our students.”

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) 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 dental hospitals to community settings. The programme, which has been awarded funding from the Higher Education Authority for 20 European Union student places in the first instance, 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.

“We are honoured that RCSI chose Henry Schein Ireland to supply and install the dental equipment required by RCSI to operate the new Dental Education Centre in Sandyford for the new BDS programme,” said Paddy Bolger, Managing Director of Henry Schein in Ireland. “We are convinced that our team’s expertise and dedication, and the close collaboration with RCSI, and the building contractors will help to ensure a successful programme in Sandyford, as well as the next project at Connolly Hospital.”

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.