Four year dental courses illegal says EU
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- Published: Saturday, 21 January 2012 14:30
- Written by News Editor
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The General Dental Council (GDC) has informed UK dental schools of an EU requirement that dentists’ studies should total five years and that time spent during a first degree may not count towards the dental training programme. A decision is expected by the end of the year. In the meantime the GDC says those qualifying this summer will be put on the Register. |
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UK Universities has issued a statement on dental graduate programmes. They point out that, in 2004 the Government announced plans to increase the number of dental training places. Universities and their NHS partners developed innovative proposals which were supported by the Department of Health, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the General Dental Council. In 2007, the Scottish Government decided to introduce an equivalent plan for a new dental school in Scotland following similar processes.
As a result of this initiative, a number of dental programmes for graduates, some lasting four years, were established in the UK, in common with many other European countries. Experience has shown that the approach to learning established during first degrees and the maturity of graduate students is producing excellent dentists.
In October 2011, the GDC informed UK dental schools of an EU requirement that dentists’ studies should total five years and noted that time spent during a first degree may not count towards the dental training programme. The European Commission is currently reviewing this Directive. The UK government is liaising closely with the Commission on this matter and the Commission is due to reach a decision by the end of 2012.
The General Dental Council is the UK’s dental regulator with a statutory duty to ensure patient safety and assure the quality of dental education. The General Dental Council has made it clear that the standards of UK graduate programmes are robust, and that they produce safe and competent dental graduates. The General Dental Council has also confirmed that it will register those students who successfully graduate in 2012 and no change is anticipated in respect of those expecting to enter Foundation Training as NHS dentists in 2012. The GDC has also confirmed that it does not see any reason to alter the status of dentists who are on the register with a graduate entry degree ‘as our view is that these dentists are fit to practise and are not considered to pose a risk to patient safety’.
Along with other European countries, some universities in the UK with dental schools will continue to offer graduate entry programmes and are exploring mechanisms, alongside governmental bodies, to restructure graduate entry programmes if necessary.
The UK Universities will continue to keep the situation under close review.
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