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www.liverpool.ac.uk/study
Accommodation: www.liverpool.ac.uk/accommodation
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Student support: www.liverpool.ac.uk/studentsupport
UG enquiries and applications: T: +44 (0)151 794 5927

THE SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

The University of Liverpool
Pembroke Place
Liverpool L3 5PS
T: +44 (0)151 706 5298
E: dentenq@liverpool.ac.uk
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

MEMBER OF THE RUSSELL GROUP

EB/RH JUN 2013

Dentistr
Dentistry offers an exciting opportunity for
satisfying and worthwhile careers that combine
a variety of skills and provide a direct benefit
to the health needs of the community.
Liverpool has had a Dental School since
1860 and has a proud tradition of providing
a first-class education to our students and
of providing excellent care for our patients.

Introduction to Dentistry 01
Research in context 03
An investment in your future 06
Programme details 08
Applications and admissions 16

At Liverpool we employ a blend of learning

techniques to make the student experience
enjoyable, constructive and intellectually
challenging. Dentistry offers an exciting
opportunity for satisfying and worthwhile
careers that combine a variety of skills and
provide a direct benefit to the health needs
of the community.

Investment. The School has undergone

a major 6 million investment programme,
funded by the Department of Health (DoH)
and the Higher Education Funding Council for
England (HEFCE), to enhance our teaching
facilities and to allow us to accommodate more
students. The investment programme included
the construction of special care dentistry suites
and oral surgery suites, state-of-the-art training
facilities, new tutorial rooms, enhanced patient
facilities, new research laboratories and a new
student common room.
Integrated programme. Students experience
a highly integrated, preventative-orientated
programme with Dentistry taught holistically
and in the context of the primary care services.

100

of our graduates are employed

or in further study within
six months of graduating.
(DLHE 2010/11)

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

01

Contents

The Dental School is highly progressive

and has embraced innovation in education
and assessment, whilst ensuring that world
class research leaders feed directly into our
curriculum. We recognise that successful
training relies on regular contact between
staff and students: a range of expert clinicians
is available to provide advice and practical
assistance as required.

WHY CHOOSE DENTISTRY AT LIVERPOOL

Personal responsibility for learning.

Appropriately supported by the School of
Dentistry, students will take a very high level
of responsibility for their personal learning
and progress, and for the management
of their patients care.
Central location. Most of the teaching is carried
out at the Liverpool University Dental Hospital
(LUDH), which is housed in a modern building
within the University precinct a few minutes
walk from the Students Union, libraries and
city centre. The hospital has over 60,000
patient attendances annually and contains
the most up-to-date equipment and facilities.
Hands-on experience. Our problem-based
learning (PBL) approach to study ensures ours
is a practical approach from day one. In the
final two years, BDS students undertake clinical
training in clinics of the Community Dental
Service and general dental practices around
Merseyside, thus easing the transition into
post-qualification employment.

HOW YOU LEARN

02/03

For BDS students, the early years are

predominantly student centred learning with
problem-based learning (PBL), supported by
lectures. Whilst clinical training in subsequent
years continues this method of learning,
there is, in addition, small group teaching
and lectures throughout the second, third,
fourth and fifth years. Much of the clinical
experience is gained with students treating
patients in the different clinics in the Dental
Hospital under close supervision of the staff.

HOW YOU ARE ASSESSED

The assessment strategy for the academic
components of the BDS programmes adopts
a varied approach including: EMI (Extended
Matching Items); SBA (Single Best Answer);
Short Answer; Critical Reasoning Long
Answer; OSCE (Observed Structured Clinical
Examination); and 1st, 2nd and 3rd BDS
in-programme component essays to assess
critical writing skills. As the BDS programme
progresses, the assessments are carefully
designed and appraised so that they assess
application and understanding of knowledge
as applied to the clinical situation, so as to
link with the essential clinical skills ethos.
All summative assessments are preceded
by formative assessments, after which the
students receive detailed feedback.
With regards to clinical activity, BDS students
must pass an assessment of basic clinical
competence before being allowed to use these
newly acquired skills on a patient. Thereafter,
the assessment of clinical activity is undertaken
using case reports, outreach reports and
purpose designed clinical monitoring. These
clinical monitoring procedures are based on
the work-based assessment tools that have
been validated for use in postgraduate Dentistry
and Medicine. An important aspect of these
assessments is their integrated nature, and
their use in multiple clinics. This latter point
is crucial to the fairness and robustness of
the assessments.
Furthermore, the system ensures that all
Liverpool graduates are in the advantageous
position of being able to take their activity
portfolio into the work place to aid their
foundation training.

Researchincontext
The University of Liverpool is a research-intensive
university, and many of our academic staff are leading
researchers in their fields. What this means for you as
a student is that your learning will be informed by the
very latest developments in Dentistry.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
(HNSCC) is the 6th most common malignancy
worldwide, with an incidence of 615,000 cases
per annum. The latest Cancer Research UK
data showed that the UK incidence of oral
and oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer
(OSCC and OPSCC) had risen by 24%
in the last decade (Figure 1 overleaf).
Merseyside and Cheshire has the highest
incidence of OSCC in England and Wales.
Academic members of staff in the School
of Dentistry are part of a wider Mersey Head
and Neck Oncology Group researching many
aspects of the biology and genomics of head
and neck cancer.

One area of particular interest is our

investigation of the interactions between
human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 and the host
in oropharyngeal cancer. We have shown that
the prevalence of HPV-16 infection associated
with oropharyngeal cancer has increased
dramatically in the UK over the past two
decades, so that, in Liverpool, nearly 90% of
these tumours now demonstrate evidence of
active HPV-16 infection. This has implications
not only for treatment and prognosis, which
is relatively good for HPV-16 positive tumours,
but has also driven calls to include males in
the UK HPV vaccination program.

95

40% of research activity deemed

world-leading or internationally
excellent, and a further 55%
internationally recognised.
(RAE 2008)

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

HPV status has been shown to be an important

prognostic biomarker in OPSCC with a hazard
ratio for overall survival around 0.4, from reviews
of clinical trials. This has led to calls to clarify the
best test or combination of tests for accurate
diagnosis so that treatment programs can be
modified accordingly. We have published two
high impact papers in this area demonstrating
that biomarkers of active infection, such as
RNA expression, are most closely linked to
good clinical outcome. These, more sensitive
tests, are set to be applied in clinical trials in
order to stratify patient responses to treatment.
Another area of our research is the role of the
host cellular response to tumour invasion, the
tumour-stroma interaction. It is now established
that the tumour stroma, including cancerassociated fibroblasts, plays an important role
in the development of head and neck cancer.
We have established novel models of HNSCC
that aim to reproduce the tumour-stroma

interactions and architecture seen in these

tumours, and more closely predict clinical
response as well as providing an insight into
the biological perspective of tumour-stromal
interactions. We have observed that the
model recapitulates the invasive behaviour
of the originating tumour as observed in
histopathological sections (Figure 2). This
provides opportunities to investigate both
tumour biology, and to develop novel models
for testing therapeutic agents. These models
also have the capability to significantly drive
the replacement of mice in cancer biology
and cancer drug development studies.
Knowledge generated by research in these
areas is used to inform and augment lectures
and other teaching of undergraduate students
in the Dental School. In addition, students are
able to join the research group for seminars
and for short, laboratory-based projects later
in the BDS course.

FIGURE 1: Percentage change in European Age-Standardised

Cancer Incidence Rates, Major Cancers, UK, 1999-2010

All Cancers
Thyroid
Malignant Melanoma
Liver
Kidney
Oral
Uterus
Prostate
Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma
Connective Tissue
Lung
Hodgkin Lymphoma
Vulva
Pancreas
Oesophagus
Breast
Mesothelioma
Testis
Bowel
Leukaemia
Cervix
Brain and CNS
Ovary
Larynx
Bladder
Stomach
-40

-20

20

Women

Organotypic
culture

Primary
tumour

Node ve

Keratinocyte
layer
Node ve, ECS +ve

04/05

Squamous cells
invading into
fibroblast layer

ECS +ve

40

80

Men

FIGURE 2: Organotypic models compared

with histological features in the index primary
OSCC showing:
i) no invasion and
ii) pushing invading front at the primary
site (arrows)
iii) limited invasion with discrete islands and
iv) infiltrative invasion at the primary site
advancing
front (arrows)
v) widespread invasion with significant cellular
dissociation and
vi) infiltrative, non-cohesive front at the primary
site (arrows show islands of tumour apart
from primary tumour mass)
(J Dhanda et al, unpublished)

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

60

Aninvestment
inyourfuture

QUALIFYING YOU FOR LIFE

Studying dentistry encourages students
to develop valuable, transferable skills
which provide a strong foundation for their
careers and their continuing professional
development. Key skills displayed by all
of our graduates include:
Communication skills
(both oral and written)
Critical reasoning skills
Clinical skills
Professionalism
Team working
Lifelong learning

CAREER PROSPECTS

06/07

There is a wide range of career opportunities

within the profession. The majority of BDS
graduates will choose general dental practice
within the NHS and in the private sector,
whilst others might choose one of the hospital
specialities, the community dental service,
university teaching, or the armed forces.

Around 80% will go into general dental

practice, becoming partners or associates
within the practice. Graduates in Dental
Hygiene/Therapy find equally varied and
rewarding careers as dental hygienists
and therapists. The majority work in dental
practice where they undertake an increasingly
wide range of dental procedures.

POSTGRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES
For students who wish to continue their
studies at postgraduate level, Dental Sciences
at Liverpool offers the Professional Doctorate
programme, which is delivered in a modular
format. In addition, we currently offer research
degrees leading to MPhil, MDS and PhD, which
may be studied on a full or part-time basis in
a selected area of study, drawing on the
specialisms of members of staff. Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) short courses
are also run which are non-credit bearing.

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

My time as an undergraduate at
Liverpool allowed me to establish
the foundations of a rewarding
career, gave me a group of lifelong
friends and left fond memories
of a fun life in a vibrant city.
MICHAEL DODD
DENTAL SURGERY BDS GRADUATED 2009

Graduate
Profile

There is a wide range of career opportunities

within the profession. The majority of our graduates
will choose general dental practice however, some
opt for a career in teaching, community services,
or the armed services, whilst others look to specialise
and undertake further studies at postgraduate level.

Prog ammedetails

Dental Surgery BDS

UCAS Code: A200
Programme Length: 5 years

Degrees at a Glance

UCAS Code

Length (Years)

Page

Bachelor of Dental Surgery BDS

A200

09

Bachelor of Dental Surgery BDS

(Graduate Entry Pathway)

A201

10

Combined Diploma in Dental Hygiene/Dental Therapy

Direct entry only

27 months

12

Foundation to Health Studies (Year 0)

Direct entry only

13

Becoming a dentist is hard work, however,

the rewards include job satisfaction through
delivering a highly professional and personal,
community-based job. On successful
completion of the programme youll be granted
a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree that is
accredited by the General Dental Council.

PROGRAMME CONTENT

Entrance Requirements
See www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses for current entrance requirements.
Foundation to Health Studies
Foundation programmes have flexible entry requirements. For further information on how
to apply to this programme and details of entry requirements please contact Karen Madden,
The University of Liverpool, School of Health Sciences, Thompson Yates Building, The
Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GB T: +44 (0)151 794 5712 E: k.madden@liv.ac.uk
or visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/healthsciences

The programme consists of three phases.

Phase I includes the study of Basic Medical
Sciences, which you will study via a problembased learning (PBL) approach in conjunction
with lectures. Clinical Dental Skills are introduced
during the Special Dental Component in the
second semester. Lectures in Oral Health and
interactive tutorials in Communication Skills
enhance this phase.
Phase II occupies the second, third and
fourth years of this integrated programme
in which PBL, lectures, seminars and clinical
skills acquisition go hand-in-hand. A wide
range of topics is studied including Oral
Sciences and Medicine, Oral Diseases,
Medical Emergencies, Law and Ethics alongside
the theoretical aspects of the various dental
disciplines. Training in the practical skills of
dentistry is through the supervised treatment
of patients in the Dental Hospital.

08/09

Phase III is the final year of study, consolidating

theoretical knowledge and clinical experience in
preparation for the final examination. In addition
to treating patients in the Dental Hospital,
students also provide treatment in local dental
practices and community clinics thus facilitating
a seamless transition into Foundation Training.

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

Year One
This is the Introductory Phase of the new
Bachelor of Dental Science (BDS) programme.
It has four elements:
Basic Medical Sciences: a problem-based
learning (PBL) course
Communication for Clinical Practice
Special Dental Component (Restorative 1):
students begin to develop clinical skills
in the Operative Skills Suite
Introduction to Oral Health: students
are introduced to the principals of
health psychology and health education,
including an Oral Health placement
in the summer term.

Year Two
Introduction to Clinical Practice
(Restorative 2)
Oral Sciences and Medicine 1
Restorative 2
Basic Life Support 1
Radiology Core of Knowledge
Paediatric Dentistry 1

Year Three
Oral Sciences and Medicine 2
Radiology 2
Restorative 3
Paediatric Dentistry 2
Oral Surgery 1
Basic Life Support 2
Orthodontics 1

For current entrance requirements and

full module details, see www.liverpool.ac.uk/
undergraduate/courses

Year Four
Oral Diseases
Clinical Governance Day
Restorative 4 OS2
Special Care Dentistry
Paediatric Dentistry 3
IV Sedation
Medical Emergencies
NHS training day
Oral Surgery 2

Dental Surgery BDS

(Graduate Entry Pathway)
UCAS Code: A201
Programme Length: 4 years
Building on the graduates prior knowledge
in an extended Year One, the School fast-tracks
graduates through the medical core of Years
One and Two of the five-year programme. The
programme develops such that the underlying
biomedical sciences are integrated with an
increasing proportion of clinical practice.

Year Five

10/11

Dental Public Health and Primary

Dental Care
Orthodontics 2
Law and Ethics
Clinical Governance Day
Basic Life Support 3
Clinicopath seminars

PROGRAMME CONTENT
Theoretical learning is carried out in small,
problem-based groups and is supported
by lectures, together with Communication
and Clinical Skills components, the Human
Anatomy Resource Centre and laboratory
sessions. Students will be integrated with the
second year students on the five-year A200
course and will be cutting their first cavities
at an early stage of the first term. At the end
of Year One, students will undertake the
same assessment as those completing Year
Two of the five-year programme. Successful
candidates will then follow the final three years
of the five-year BDS programme (A200).

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

Dentistry offers very exciting

opportunities in a very engaging
career. We train on simulators
which are of a very high quality and
can develop excellent clinical skills
before moving on to the real thing.
The emphasis of study shifts over
the five years, so you move from
the theoretical to the clinical, and
in the final year you are pretty
much constantly in the clinics.
KRISTIAN BLACKHALL
DENTAL SURGERY BDS

See what Kristian had to say about

studying Dental Surgery at Liverpool
www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/video

For current entrance requirements and

full module details, see www.liverpool.ac.uk/
undergraduate/courses

Combined Diploma in Dental

Hygiene/Dental Therapy
UCAS Code: Apply directly
through the School of Dentistry
Programme Length: 27 months
The Combined Diploma in Dental Hygiene
and Therapy is a full-time modular course
which is studied over 27 calendar months,
with students based at sites in Accrington
and Liverpool (subject to SHA commissions).
All students travel to Liverpool for some
of their lectures and clinical training. This
provides opportunities for interacting with
BDS students. However, the majority of
time is spent at the local site. Each site has
a clinical skills laboratory where students
gain experience on phantom heads before
progressing to treat patients, either in dental
practices close to their particular site or in the
Liverpool University Dental Hospital. The clinical
training is integrated into and complements
the taught modules of the programme.

The Academic programme continues

throughout the course with second year
teaching concentrating on clinically specific
subjects such as restorative and paediatric
dentistry. Clinical experience begins in the
second half of the first academic year, where
students will spend time on clinical placements,
either in the Liverpool Dental Hospital or at
practice placement sites. For students based
at Accrington, one day a week will be spent in
Liverpool to enable students to mix with other
Diploma students.

Year One
Foundation course
ECDL
Plaque Related Disease 1
Dental Hygiene Operative Technique
Behavioural Sciences
Preventive Dentistry
Dental Therapy Operative Technique
Clinical Placement 1

Programmewith
aFoundationYear
Foundation to Health
Studies (Year Zero)
UCAS Code: Apply directly through
School of Health Sciences
Programme Length: 1 year
The University of Liverpool, in collaboration with
local FE partners, has developed a Year Zero
foundation programme for Home/EU students
that leads to access onto a variety of vocational
Health Studies programmes. Students
seeking entry to Dentistry follow a pathway
that is offered at Carmel College, St Helens.
Successful completion, to the specified
standard, ensures automatic progression
onto the degree programmes at the University
of Liverpool in Dentistry.

Year Two
The Diploma programme is particularly
attractive to applicants with a background
in Dental Nursing who wish to become
more involved in treating patients. Successful
completion of the programme leads to
registration with the General Dental Council as
both a Dental Hygienist and a Dental Therapist.
Liverpool is continually redeveloping the course
to meet the demands of an ever-changing and
exciting dental profession.

Restorative Dentistry
Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology
Radiology
Dental Public Health
Plaque Related Disease 2
Clinical Placement 2
Critical Thinking and Evidence
Based Dentistry
Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
Clinical Placement 3

PROGRAMME CONTENT
The programme adopts a modular approach
to the delivery of the content. The first year
provides students with essential knowledge
and clinical skills required for them to progress
to treating patients.

Year Three
Elective
Clinical Placement 4

*For further information on how to apply to

12/13

this programme visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/

study/undergraduate/courses/combineddiploma-in-dental-hygiene-therapy

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

Please note students who have applied

through UCAS for entry onto undergraduate
programmes in the School of Dentistry
would not normally be considered for this
route, which is specifically targeted at Home/
EU mature and non-traditional students who
typically have taken a break from studies.

PROGRAMME CONTENT
This is a modular programme and successful
candidates have to complete 120 credits.

Modules for The Dentistry pathway:

Biology for Health Studies 1 & 2 (45 credits)
Chemistry for Medicine/Dentistry 1 & 2
(45 credits)
Foundations of Professional Studies
(15 credits)
Health and Social Care for Medicine
and Dentistry (15 credits)
The Biology modules provide the basic
knowledge of the structure and function
of the human body relating to cell structure
and function: genetics; respiration; transport;
regulation and control; action of drugs;
immunity; the eye and the nervous system.
The Foundation of Professional Studies
module (15 credits) provides students with
the opportunity to develop their knowledge
and understanding of the Health and Social
Care context of practice for health care
professionals.
The two Chemistry modules (45 credits) will
provide basic knowledge of those aspects
of Chemistry which are particularly relevant
to Medicine.
Health and Social Care for Medicine and
Dentistry (15 credits) introduces the students
to health and social policy.

*For further information on how to apply to

this programme visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/
health-sciences/undergraduate

In all modules the study skills needed

for independent study at undergraduate
degree level are developed. Students are
also introduced to a variety of learning
methods, for example, formal taught sessions,
workshops, practical laboratory sessions and
a variety of assessment tasks, for example,
written assignments, in class data handling,
written and practical examinations to provide
a good grounding for vocational programmes.
For current entrance requirements and
full module details, see www.liverpool.ac.uk/
undergraduate/courses

14/15

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

Applications
and admissions
We welcome applications from all over the
world, and its our aim to make the process
of applying as smooth as possible.
The information that follows is a brief guide
to applying for programmes of study at the
University of Liverpool. For full details of our
applications and admissions policy, please
visit our website at www.liverpool.ac.uk/
ug-admissions

MAKING AN APPLICATION
THROUGH UCAS
Applications for full-time undergraduate
study are made via UCAS, the Universities and
Colleges Admissions Service, using UCASs
online application system at www.ucas.com
The University of Liverpool institution code
is LVRPL L41.

WHEN TO MAKE YOUR APPLICATION

DUTY OF CARE

MATURE STUDENTS

For up-to-date information please visit

www.ucas.com

The University has an obligation to undertake

health screening of all prospective dental
students. Any offer of a place is conditional
on completion of a health questionnaire and a
satisfactory assessment of fitness to train from
the Universitys Occupational Health Service.
This includes some obligatory immunisations
and blood tests, in line with recommendations
from the Department of Health. All students
also need to undergo an enhanced CRB
check before admittance to the programme.

We welcome applications from candidates

who are not applying directly from school
or college, or who have non-standard
qualifications, or who wish work or life
experience to be taken into account as part
of their application. For further information
see www.liverpool.ac.uk/maturestudents

APPLICATIONS FOR THE COMBINED

DIPLOMA IN DENTAL HYGIENE/
DENTAL THERAPY PROGRAMME
For further information on how to apply to this
programme and details of entry requirements
please visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/
undergraduate/courses/combineddiploma-in-dental-hygiene-therapy

APPLICATIONS FOR THE FOUNDATION

TO HEALTH STUDIES PROGRAMME
Foundation programmes have flexible entry
requirements. For further information on how
to apply to this programme and details of entry
requirements please contact Karen Madden,
The University of Liverpool, School of Health
Sciences, Thompson Yates Building, The
Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool, L69 3GB
T:+44 (0)151 794 5712 E: k.madden@liv.ac.uk
or visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/healthsciences

1,674
16/17

applications in 2012.

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Learning and Teaching > Dentistry
www.liverpool.ac.uk/dentistry

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
For full details on the programmes we offer
and detailed entrance requirements, visit
www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/undergraduate

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

We give equal consideration to all applicants
and welcome applications from students
with disabilities. Please contact the Disability
Support Team on T: +44 (0)151 794 5117
to discuss your support needs before you
submit your UCAS application.

DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY

We accept a wide range of other
qualifications, eg EU and international
qualifications. For more detailed information
on entrance requirements see our online
prospectus www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/
undergraduate/courses

The University of Liverpool attaches the

greatest importance to its policies and activities
to promote diversity and equality of opportunity.
Full details on these policies can be found online
at www.liverpool.ac.uk/diversity-and-equality

DISCLAIMER
For information on English language entry
requirements visit www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/
international/countries/english-language or
contact Student Recruitment and Admissions
T: +44 (0)151 794 6730 E: irro@liverpool.ac.uk
ask.liv.ac.uk/help/undergraduate

Every effort has been made to ensure that

information contained within this brochure
is accurate at the time of going to press.
However, the matters covered are subject
to change from time to time, both before
and after a candidates admission.