Dental Surgery

Dental surgery is one of the most rigorous and demanding health professions, requiring extensive scientific knowledge, precise manual skill, and the ability to manage the anxieties of patients who are often nervous about dental treatment. Dentists diagnose and treat diseases and disorders of the mouth, teeth, and jaw, carrying out procedures from routine fillings and extractions to more complex restorative and surgical work. The profession combines clinical science with patient-centred care, and it demands both technical excellence and strong interpersonal skills.

At Cardiff University, this five-year full-time programme is one of the UK's established dental schools, with a long history of training dentists for the NHS and the wider profession. The programme integrates scientific education with clinical training from an early stage, so you develop your understanding of the biological sciences, including anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology, in direct relationship with the clinical skills you are acquiring. You will begin working with patients in the university's dental hospital, under supervision, earlier than in some other professional education programmes, giving you substantial clinical experience before graduation.

The later years of the programme involve increasing levels of clinical responsibility across a range of dental procedures.

Cardiff Dental School has excellent facilities and access to a diverse patient population through the university dental hospital, and the programme is accredited by the General Dental Council, which regulates dentistry in the UK.

Graduates are eligible to register with the General Dental Council and to practise as dentists in the UK. Most enter general dental practice, in the NHS or the independent sector, while others pursue careers in hospital dentistry, community dental services, academic dentistry, or postgraduate specialty training in areas such as orthodontics, oral surgery, and restorative dentistry.