Dental Specialty Training in London & KSS

What is Specialty Training?

Specialty Training is a structured pathway designed to help dental professionals develop advanced expertise in their chosen field. The General Dental Council (GDC) currently recognizes 13 dental specialties and works closely with NHSE Workforce, Training and Education (NHSE WT&E) and Postgraduate Dental Deans to ensure the quality and consistency of these training programs.

Successful completion of a program leads to the award of a Certificate of Completion of Specialty Training (CCST), which qualifies professionals for entry onto the GDC Specialist List.

The GDC also sets the minimum entry requirements for Specialty Training and approves the curricula and assessment frameworks for each specialty. It's important to note that while the GDC outlines these minimum standards, nationally agreed "essential" criteria may differ slightly.

Training is competency-based, and the table below outlines the typical timeframes for completion across different specialties.

*Current legislation dictates a minimum of three years

The Dental Gold Guide 2023 provides you with key information about your training.

Why train to become a Specialist?

Whist the great majority of dental graduates look forward to a career providing a full range of oral health care to patients in general dental practice, there are a significant number who have a specific interest in an aspect of dentistry which they wish to pursue to a specialist level.  For those, the most predictable way of achieving specialist status is to gain entry on to one of the speciality training programmes, which are available in London and KSS, and in many other parts of the UK.

Recruitment for Specialty Training

London and KSS participate in the national recruitment process for Specialty Training. Interested candidates can apply and register through Oriel, the online application system. Applicants are required to complete an online application for each specialty of interest, specifying their preferred geographical location(s).

For detailed information about the recruitment timeline, eligibility criteria, and other key aspects of the recruitment process, please visit Dental Specialty Training recruitment | Dental Hub.

Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF)

The NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) is a clinical specialty training post in dentistry that incorporates academic training. They are designed to facilitate the career progression of dentists with a particular interest in research and education. Trainees receive Masters-level research training to enhance their academic skills and dedicate 25% of their time to research or educational training. The NIHR ACF is a three-year programme, with flexible entry levels tailored to match the applicant’s career stage.

Additional information is available on the 2024 NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in Dentistry | NIHR.

For further details, Dr Rui Albuquerque is the Dental Academic Regional Advisor Lead and can be contacted for guidance (rui.albuquerque@gstt.nhs.uk and rui.albuquerque@nhs.net).

Dental Specialty Training Programme Directors

The specialty training programmes are led by the Postgraduate Dental Dean with support from the Associate Deans, Training Programme Directors and local Educational and Clinical Supervisors.

They are supported by the administration Teams at NHSE WT&E and within the various Trusts. 

Contact Details of TPD’s:

Contact details for the NHSE WT&E admin team:

All Trainees should contact the health education team via the PGMDE Support Portal (PSP)

LINK: https://lasepgmdesupport.hee.nhs.uk/support/home

Guidance for Specialty Trainees and Supervisors

Please see headings below for further information and resources.