Dental Surgery

Overview
Dentists are in high demand in the UK. With more than 2,500 dentist vacancies in the NHS alone, communities all over the country are facing a decline in oral health. Graduates of this course will go on to have a meaningful impact on society, contributing to better health and reducing long-term healthcare costs.

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) combines biomedical and behavioural sciences, dental public health, clinical skills, and patient-centred care, preparing you for a future career in dentistry. You'll get hands-on training in our state-of-the-art teaching facilities and take part in live clinical sessions with patients. You'll also develop your communication skills and deliver outreach activities, securing your place as a valuable and key member of the community.

Studying in our Dental Academy, you’ll develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours you need to be ready to apply for registration with the General Dental Council (GDC), which is essential for practicing as a dentist in the UK.

• Develop and refine clinical skills in our modern phantom head and haptics labs, using high-fidelity haptic simulators in a team-based environment

• Early patient contact in our dedicated primary care clinical facilities at the Dental Academy

• Community based dental care and community healthcare projects, involving outreach placements which develop the skills needed to prepare dentists to tackle the oral health needs of local communities

• Team-based education, working alongside dental hygiene, dental therapy and dental nursing students to replicate real-world general dental practice

• Secondary care placements in hospital settings to gain experience in specialised areas such as oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, special care dentistry and restorative dentistry

Accredited by:
This course has GDC pre-accreditation approval.

Careers and opportunities
Dentists are pivotal to the team responsible for improving oral health and will contribute to reducing long-term healthcare costs and improving life expectancy. With a focus on community and patient-centred learning, our dentist graduates will reduce health inequalities by working with diverse populations, including vulnerable or underserved groups.

What areas can you work in with a dental surgery degree?
After you complete this course, you’ll be able to register with the General Dental Council (GDC) as a dentist and embark on your dental career straight away in the private dental sector. You'll need to complete Dental Foundation Training (DFT) to be eligible to practice dentistry in the NHS.

Eligibility for the DFT is different for international students. While international graduate dentists can apply for GDC registration upon completion of their course and practice in the private dental sector, not all international dental graduates will be eligible to apply for DFT. By 2031, we hope to secure DFT eligibility for our international graduate dentists.

Work experience with patients in the community
To help you gain professional experience, you'll help to provide free dental health services to the public at the Dental Academy and work with patients in local community settings.

You'll have the chance to offer preventative and educational dental support within institutions such as school clinics and hostels for homeless people, enabling you to gain a better understanding of the social impact of good dental care.

Course Modules

The University of Portsmouth is passionate about creating career-focused modules that do more than support your studies, they empower your academic journey and prepare you for what comes next.

We design modules that have:

• Clear themes and skills development as you progress through each year

• Assessments that feel meaningful, often based on real-world tasks rather than isolated exams

• Career-enhancing opportunities such as placements, live projects, enterprise and volunteering

For a full list of the modules you will study on this course, please visit the link to the course page.

https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bds-dental-surgery#modules