Oral Health Sciences

Why study Oral Health Sciences at Dundee?

The Dundee Dental Hospital and School has modern clinical, lecture, tutorial and laboratory facilities, including a dedicated computer-aided learning suite. As well as the annual intake of 10 BSc Oral Health Sciences students, there is an annual intake of approximately 60 BDS (dental) students and many of the teaching and learning experiences are shared. The Dental School has a thriving Students' Society, a student-run coffee bar and an excellent programme of student-led social activities.

The Dental School performs consistently well in league tables for both research and teaching. The University of Dundee Dental School is a top UK dental school as noted in the Guardian University Guide 2011 and The Complete University Guide.

Professional Accreditation

This programme has full approval from the professional governing body for dentistry in the UK, the General Dental Council (GDC).

"In final year you start outreach clinics where you go to different dental access centres to treat patients. You get a real feel of what working life is going to be like, along with the start of treating kids, which I never thought I would enjoy; turned out to be very rewarding."
Laura King, BSc Oral Health Sciences, 2011

What exactly are oral health sciences?

Dental hygiene and dental therapy are concerned with maintaining and managing aspects of oral and dental health and preventing oral and dental diseases. This requires an understanding of the whole body, knowledge of the mouth and an appreciation of social influences as well as precise manual skills.

Dental hygienists and therapists are part of the dental team, with dentists, dental nurses and dental technicians. The group comprising dental nurses, hygienists, therapists and technicians are known as dental care professionals (DCPs). Dental hygienists and therapists work to a treatment plan provided by a dentist. They help patients develop and maintain good oral health. They do this by restoring teeth (doing fillings) and, for child patients, they can also carry out extractions, pulp therapy and stainless steel crowns. The treatment of periodontal (gum) disease is also a major component of the work. Their preventive role includes giving advice on diet, oral hygiene and smoking cessation. Other care they can provide is the taking and developing of radiographs and the taking of impressions.

Learn more from the British Association of Dental Therapists or the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy.

• BSc Oral Health Sciences

• BDS Dentistry