FdSc Oral Health Sciences is based on the General Dental Council’s guidance document Developing the Dental Team and is kept under continual review to ensure that our students are ‘fit to practise’ upon qualification. The content of learning includes oral health, pathology and disease; wider issues affecting the health of the individuals and community, including environment and work-safety issues, heredity, lifestyle, education, socio-economic factors and media influences. We ensure that you consider these wider issues and adopt a holistic approach to patient care. The overriding aims of our curriculum are to develop professionals who are able to meet the current dental health needs of individuals and society and foster the habit of lifelong learning to enable continuing professional development to meet the future needs of patients and society. Our objectives are to: 1. Widen access to professional education so that individuals who aspire to become dental hygienists can practise as registered practitioners safely and competently; 2. Create flexible, inter-professional learning pathways to bridge the skill gaps of the NHS dental workforce while meeting the learning needs and aspirations of individuals; and 3. Develop and sustain personal effectiveness by developing self awareness, confidence, autonomy and the habit of lifelong learning and reflective practice.

This Foundation degree will be suited to you if you are interested in a career in oral health practice, such as an oral health educator, a dental hygienist/therapist, a dental technician or a dentist. Successful completion of our programme enables registration with the General Dental Council as a dental hygienist.