Dental Specialty Training

The Dental Specialities

The General Dental Council currently recognises 13 different dental specialities and quality assures, through NHSE (WT&E) and the Postgraduate Dental Deans, the training programmes that lead to a Certificate of Completion of Speciality Training (CCST) and entry on to a GDC Specialist List.

The GDC also defines the minimum entry criteria and approve the curricula for each specialty, and the respective assessment frameworks.

The “essential” entry criteria to Specialist Training can be locally or nationally determined and often vary from the GDCs minimum requirements.

Speciality	Length of Training (years)	Notes
Dental Public Health	4 (5)
Oral Surgery	3
Paediatric Dentistry	3 (+2)	2 year, post-CCST training available
Orthodontics	3 (+2)	2 year, post-CCST training available
Restorative Dentistry	5
Special Care Dentistry	3
Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology	5
Oral Medicine	5
Oral and Maxillofacial Histopathology	5
Oral Microbiology	5	Currently under review
Endodontics	3	NIHR academic funded posts only
Periodontics	3
Prosthodontics	3

Why train to be 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 in many other parts of the UK.

Gaining entry on to a Specialist Training Programme

Those interested in applying for entry on to a specialist training programme need to fulfil both the GDC entry criteria and the national / local essential criteria, all of which will be detailed on the “Person Specification” that is made available at the time of advertisement. The advertisement is always posted on the websites of NHS Jobs and HEE London and is open for 28 days. What time of the year training posts become available is dependent upon when vacancies arise and the specific speciality.

Academic Training

In addition to the Speciality Training Posts detailed above, there are occasions when academic speciality training posts become available. These are designed to facilitate the career progression of dentists with a particular interest in research and teaching. When they become available, they are advertised on the websites mentioned above.

Dr. Rui Albuquerque is the Dental Academic Regional advisor lead. He is a Consultant in Oral Medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital and an Honorary Reader at King’s College London. Please feel free to contact him via email at rui.albuquerque@gstt.nhs.uk and rui.albuquerque@nhs.net.

Training Programme Directors