Paediatric Dentistry DDent

London, Bloomsbury

The DDent in Paediatric Dentistry is a three-year, full-time programme providing comprehensive training in paediatric dentistry. We provide a mix of clinical and academic experience that prepares you for the challenges of modern clinical life you will face in your future career.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£19,800
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£61,800
Duration
3 academic years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 31 Jan 2024

Applications closed

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold an approved dental qualification and have a minimum of two years' clinical experience post-qualification.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


This three-year full-time professional doctorate programme is for dentists wanting to train to specialist level and combines specialist-level clinical practice with doctorate-level research.

The clinical component is delivered at University College Hospital, one of the UK's leading hospital trusts. You will benefit from excellent facilities during your time on the programme.

Students are exposed to a wide range of clinical techniques including inhalation sedation, management of dental trauma, dental anomalies, and treatment under general anaesthetic. Clinical teaching is supported by a large consultant team, so you get good access to expert support.

The programme is taught through both specialist-level clinical practice and doctorate-level research and meets the entry requirements for the Membership in Paediatric Dentistry examination.

Who this course is for

This programme will suit dentists at two years post-qualification with an interest in Paediatric Dentistry who want to significantly advance their skills.

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • The professional doctorate prepares students for the challenges of modern clinical life with its mix of specialist level training and doctorate level research.
  • A high proportion of sessions with direct patient contact.
  • A favourable staff-student ratio.
  • Excellent facilities offered by the unit, which has unique expertise in caring for young patients with behaviour problems, dental trauma, anomalies, and medical conditions.
  • Face-to-face teaching in small groups, supplemented by an extensive online resource of material developed specifically for this course.

The foundation of your career

The programme offers the combination of doctorate level research and specialist level clinical skills needed for future leaders of the paediatric dentistry profession. Most of our graduates go on to pass the Royal College Membership exams.

From early on, UCL Eastman was my first choice for my postgraduate training. It has a reputation of excellent clinical and academic training and is well recognised among dentists across the world.

Dr Nick Lygidakis

Dr Nick Lygidakis

Paediatric Dentistry, DDent

Employability

This programme supports students in applying for specialist status in their own countries. Our previous graduates are now employed in a wide range of posts, ranging from private practice to senior roles in hospital and academic dentistry.

Networking

Students are encouraged to attend and contribute to conferences in the UK and internationally. The institute also hosts a variety of speakers throughout the year, and all students are encouraged to attend these talks and network with their peers.

Teaching and learning

The doctorate is a mix of structured modular teaching, clinical work, and research. We use a mix of lectures, small group teaching, and one-to-one teaching in clinical and laboratory settings. We teach in a blended format, with some elements delivered face-to-face and some online, using our virtual learning environment, Moodle. Workshops and laboratory work take place in new state-of-the-art pre-clinical and laboratory facilities.

The DDent programme uses both summative and formative assessments. For taught modules, you may be assessed by written papers, oral examinations, supervised clinical work, and by skills tests in the phantom head facilities.

The course is full time. Clinical contact takes up approximately 50-60% of the time with the remainder being taken up by teaching and research.

Research areas and structure

The programme is taught through both specialist-level clinical practice and doctorate-level research and meets the entry requirements for the Membership in Paediatric Dentistry examination.

Research environment

The UCL Eastman Dental Institute is the largest postgraduate dental school in Europe and has a reputation as one of the world’s leading academic centres for dentistry. You will join a community of 80-100 research students enrolled within the UCL Eastman Centre for Postgraduate Research, a virtual body for research students within the UCL Eastman Dental Institute.

You will engage in research from the first term, where you will be allocated your project. This research project runs throughout the entire three years and progress is monitored by regular meetings with supervisors and through presentation of an upgrade report halfway through the programme.

Research topics could either be lab or clinic based. Lab-based studies are usually carried out at the Royal Free Campus. You are expected to present data from the project at an international research conference in the third year.

The doctorate is a mix of structured modular teaching (mostly delivered in the first two years), clinical work and research.

You will take 11 compulsory taught modules and the doctoral research project.

Year 1

  • Clinical Science and Research Methods
  • Principles of Treatment
  • Clinical Care Core Course
  • Behaviour Management
  • Restorative Dentistry for Children & Adolescents
  • Trauma
  • Paediatric Dentistry Advanced Clinical Care 1
  • Paediatric Dentistry Advanced Clinical Care 2

Year 2

  • Managing the Developing Child
  • Special Care Dentistry for the Child & Adolescent
  • Paediatric Dentistry Advanced Clinical Care

Year 3

  • DDent in Paediatric Dentistry Project (55,000 words)

There is no formal teaching in the third year. You will be expected to continue to develop your clinical skills and complete your project. Students continue to see patients throughout all three years of the programme.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Where you'll study

Welcome to UCL Eastman Dental Institute

We are a world-leading, academic centre for postgraduate dentistry and translational research. We offer high-quality postgraduate education, including Master's degrees, speciality training, certificates, diplomas, research degrees and CPD courses. Our clinically-intensive programmes are led by international specialists. As a world-class research centre, we are continually improving systemic and oral health by developing novel treatments, therapies, diagnostics and smart materials. Our new state-of-the-art facilities at Bloomsbury campus ensure that our students, researchers and academics have exceptional access to patients and opportunities for education and research. The UCLH Eastman Dental Hospital is part of the largest hospital in Europe specialising in complex oral health care and advanced ear, nose and throat treatments.


Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £19,800
Tuition fees (2024/25) £61,800

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Fee deposits for this programme are as follows: UK full-time students £2,500; Overseas full-time students £5,000.

There are no anticipated additional costs for this programme.

This programme requires a completed DBS check for some compulsory modules. You will receive more information from UCL on how to complete the check once you have firmly accepted an unconditional offer for the programme. The DBS application cost will be covered by UCL, but offer holders will also need to have their ID checked and verified at a Post Office, for which they will incur a charge of £15.00. The offer holder is also required to arrange and pay for any overseas police check that may be necessary; costs vary by country. For more information about the DBS application process, please contact the UCL Graduate Admissions team.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Next steps

Successful applicants to this programme will be required to pay a tuition fee deposit dependent on their mode of study and fee status.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.