Working in dentistry provides a range of varied and rewarding career opportunities that make a real difference to people’s lives, from improving oral health and care to helping to prevent and detect other health conditions and ensuring people get access to the right services. The dental team comprises a range of General Dental Council (GDC) registered and non-registered personnel.
Information on each of the main dentistry roles, including the qualifications and training required, is set out below.
An Orthodontic Therapist is a highly skilled member of a specialised dental team. All orthodontic treatment requires to be planned by a Dentist, often with additional specialised training and qualification. An Orthodontic Therapist assists in the delivery of this treatment by working directly with patients to adjust and monitor orthodontic appliances ( braces ). An Orthodontic Therapist typically undertakes the routine management of patients who are undergoing orthodontic treatment once the treatment has been planned and prescribed by a Dentist.
Orthodontic Therapists typically work in specialist high street orthodontic practices where a specialist Orthodontist is responsible for planning and prescribing the treatment. There are some opportunities to work in NHS health board settings in some circumstances.
NES provide a programme for GDC-registered dental care professionals to train as an orthodontic therapist, with the course operating every 18 months. The exit examination is the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Diploma in Orthodontic Therapy.
Many people in these roles are GDC-registered (although its not mandatory) and work as part of oral health improvement (OHI) teams usually employed by NHS Boards. Training for this role for non-registrants will be through general health improvement courses or for dental nurses through the NES delivered PDA: Delivering Oral Health Interventions (SCQF Level 8) or the online NEBDN Certificate in Oral Health Education (and other post registration qualifications) via a NEBDN Training Provider.
Extended-duties Dental Nurses work within the dental team providing a range of specialised services in support of patient care. An Extended-duties Dental Nurse may choose to enhance their scope of practice through specialising in delivering support for procedures such as inhalational or intravenous sedation. They may seek to offer care and support directly to patients through taking radiographs (xrays), taking impressions or offering oral health advice and treatments directly for patients.
Extended-duties Dental Nurses can expect to work in a range of different settings from high street dental practices to NHS health board sites.
Extended-duties Dental Nurses must have already achieved a registerable qualification at SCQF Level 7 and be GDC-registered before undertaking a wide range of qualifications that can enhance their ‘scope of practice’. These additional qualifications including SQA Professional Development Award (PDA) qualifications aligned to SCQF Levels 7-9 and cover topics as diverse as radiography; food and health, inhalation and intravenous sedation, dental impression taking and orthodontic dental nursing. Equivalent courses are offered through the NEBDN.
A dentist is a highly skilled member of the dental team. A dentist typically prescribes and delivers the full range of treatments necessary to secure and maintain the oral health of patients. This includes diagnosing a wide range of dental diseases as well other conditions that may impact on oral health or present in the mouth. A dentist would typically undertake oral health promotion through advice and treatment, provide simple and complex fillings including root treatments as well as providing complex restorations such as crowns, bridges and dentures. Dentists will undertake the removal of teeth and can undertake complex surgical procedures where required.
A dentist may choose to focus their career pathway through additional training and experience. Typically this may be to deliver specialist treatments such as complex oral surgery including implants, orthodontic treatments or the delivery of care to specific vulnerable groups of patients.
Most dentists work by delivering care in a high street dental practice and may choose to become the owner of such a practice. Other opportunities are available within NHS health boards for the delivery of care to patients who are unable to access care at a high street dentist.
Training as a dentist is available in three university dental schools in Scotland. This is available as a 5-year undergraduate-entry course from Glasgow and Dundee and as 4-year graduate-entry course at Aberdeen.
A Dental Therapist is a highly trained member of the dental team who provides much of the routine care that many people might associate with a dentist. Treatments that they may deliver include simple fillings for children and adults, take xrays and offer the full range of oral health promoting and periodontal treatments that can be provided by a Dental Hygienist. Dental Therapists can prescribe and deliver treatments to patients where this falls within their scope of practice.
Dental Therapists may work in high street dental practices and are often employed by NHS health boards. Dental Therapists require to be registered with the GDC.
There are currently four university training centres for studying dental therapy in Scotland. The two delivery models are a 3-year BSc (Oral Health Science) and a 4-year BSc (Honours) (Oral Health Science); SCQF Level 9 and 10).
A Dental Technician is a member of the wider dental team who specialises in the construction of a range of different dental appliances and prostheses such as crowns, bridges and dentures. A Dental Technician can work in a variety of different settings such as in a commercial dental laboratory, a dental hospital or NHS health board or in a high street dental practice. A Dental Technician requires to work closely with a dentist as they manufacture appliances that are fitted for the patients of that dentist.
A small number of Dental Technicians may undertake further training to become a Clinical Dental Technician. A Clinical Dental Technician is able to work directly with patients without the involvement of a dentist. Clinical Dental Technicians can prescribe and deliver treatment directly for patients where this treatment is within their scope of practice.
All Dental Technicians require to be registered with the GDC. Training is only available at one Higher Education Institute (HEI) operating a part-time Diploma in Higher Education in Dental Technology (SCQF Level 8). There is no current training provision in Scotland for Clinical Dental Technicians.
Dental Receptionists and Practice Managers are members of the dental team who provide an essential administrative role that ensures effective and efficient management of the patient care delivered by the clinical team.
Dental receptionists provide support through the day to day management of patient flow within a dental setting and support the dental business model through the implementation of effective processes including financial controls.
Dental Practice Managers typically support the dental business model through management of a range of business critical processes that ensure that the wide range of legislative are met when managing the business of dentistry.
The vast majority of Dental Receptionists and Practice Managers would expect to work in high street dental practices. These practices many be owned by individual or small groups of dentist. Alternatively, practices may be owned and operated by larger companies who specialise in the management of high street dental practices. A number of Dental Receptionists will find opportunities for working as employees of a NHS health board.
Individuals can undertake training programmes or qualifications via a range of training providers (e.g. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) awards in Dental Reception Skills and Dental Practice Management and recognised on the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF) as Level 6 and 8. This cohort are not regulated by the GDC.
A Dental Nurse is a member of the dental teams who provides support in the delivery of dental care to patients. Dental Nurses have a wide range of responsibilities from providing direct chairside support to dentists during treatment of patients to undertaking decontamination duties that ensure that the care is delivered in a safe environment. Dental Nurses have a range of opportunities, through additional qualifications to specialise in their role. These additional qualifications enable Dental Nurses to become Extended-duties Dental Nurses.
Dental Nurses require to be GDC registered with the minimum registrable qualification at SCQF Level 7. Qualifications include the Scottish Vocational Qualification & Professional Development Award in Dental Nursing, awarded by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), a Certificate in Higher Education and the Diploma in Dental Nursing awarded by the National Examination Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN).
Dental nurse education is delivered in a range of ways including the Modern Apprenticeship.
There is no training available in Scotland for dental hygienists. Planning is underway for the SQA to establish a programme for registered dental nurses at a further education college in the central belt. The course will result in an SQA Higher National Diploma (SCQF 8) qualification, enabling the registered dental nurse to join an additional registrant category allowing them to practice as a dental hygienist.
A Dental Health Support Worker is a clinical support worker who works as part of the dental team. A DHSW will work under the supervision of a Dentist or Dental Nurse to support dental teams in the smooth running of practices, or in support of oral health improvement programmes.
Education is available from NES with programmes available at SCQF Levels 5, 6 and 7. Not GDC registered.