This five-year programme is designed to ensure that graduates can safely and effectively deliver the full range of primary dental care, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral and dental diseases. Treatment involves areas such as the restoration of damaged teeth, the correction of irregularities, the replacement of missing teeth and surgical procedures such as the removal of teeth. After qualifying there is no mandatory intern year, unlike medicine, although some graduates undertake vocational training either in Ireland or the UK.

There is a wide range of career options open to qualified dentists. New graduates usually find themselves deciding whether to work in general dental practice providing both state funded or private dental care, or in the salaried public dental service. Many graduates choose to continue their education with the aim of becoming a specialist in one area within dentistry. Dentistry does give scope to work and travel worldwide. Citizens of the EU who graduate from an EU dental school may practice anywhere in the EU and there is currently demand for dentists all over Europe.