Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc)

The Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) is a five-year undergraduate program that qualifies a graduate to register as a dentist in all Australian States and New Zealand. The BDSc is awarded at Pass and Honours levels.

The University of Queensland Dental School has been providing dentists to the people of Queensland since 1939. The current BDSc program, which was implemented in 2002, has been accredited by the Australian Dental Council and provides students with the opportunity to spend the final year in State Government dental clinics throughout Queensland, enabling them to extend and further develop their clinical skills and experience before graduation.

The program provides students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they require to become competent practitioners of dentistry. These include the application of scientific principles to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oral diseases and abnormalities. From 2006, students will undertake a science-based first year as part of the BDSc program which will include an introduction to dental practice. The remaining four years of the program involve three years of applied dental science (36 weeks of class contact each year) and one year of extramural clinical practice (38 weeks). Clinical work commences in second year and is broadened in the third and fourth years of study. Each student is assigned patients and is then responsible for the dental care of these patients. Clinical work in areas such as general dental practice, operative dentistry, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics is undertaken at the Dental School. Students gain experience in the areas of oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial surgery in Brisbane teaching hospitals. The final year of study provides external clinical experience. Students will be rotated to a variety of State Government health clinics throughout Queensland, including rural, school, hospital and community clinics.

Entry Requirements

As one would expect of a leading national dental program, entry to UQ's BDSc is highly competitive. The annual admission quota is 65 places. Refer to the Courses and Programs page for admission requirements and program outline.

Entry Requirements to Year 1 Dentistry in 2010

The following courses comprise the first year of the BDSc program (as from 2010):

• Biological Sciences (BIOL1040)
• Chemistry (CHEM1020)
• Dentistry (DENT1011, DENT1030)
• Oral Health (ORAL1010, ORAL1020, ORAL1030, ORAL1050)

All courses in Year 1 are two units each.  This is a fixed plan of study with a set timetable and there are no electives.  All courses will be provided at either the St Lucia campus, Turbot Street (Dental School) or the Oral Health Education Unit at Yeronga.

Program Outline

The Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) program involves five years of full-time tertiary study. The BDSc program is based on the 1-3-1 model of dental education:

• one year of introduction to oral health
• three years of applied dental science
• one year of extramural clinical practice

The first year of study in basic sciences is undertaken at UQ's St Lucia campus, while the next three years are largely completed at the School of Dentistry in Turbot Street.

The final year consists of full-time clinical practice within Queensland Health clinics located throughout the State.

The BDSc program is built on a foundation of general studies in the biological sciences. Students are trained as scientists as well as clinical practitioners.

Students are introduced to clinical practice in first year in addition to studies in basic science.  Clinical work in a few areas during second year, and this experience is broadened in third and fourth years. Patients are assigned to each student, who is then responsible for their dental care.

Years 2-4 cover most of the clinical work in discipline areas such as:

• General Practice Dentistry 
• Orthodontics
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Periodontics
• Prosthodontics

Students also attend teaching hospitals for experience in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Studies in Community Dentistry, Dental Materials, Oral Biology and Pathology and Pharmacology continue during these years.

An Integrated Approach

The BDSc program embraces an integrated approach to study, with student-centred modes of learning as the principal learning style.  The first year involves basic sciences and an introduces students to clinical practice.  The second year of the program provides the major scientific foundations relevant to Dentistry, and later years build on this base, particularly through problem-based learning.

The aim of this integrated curriculum is to provide clinically relevant education in basic sciences and scientifically-based education in clinical care. The curriculum focuses on outcomes and on preparation for general practice.

The Clinical Practice Year

A critical component of the curriculum is the final clinical practice year, during which time students are placed within Queensland Health clinics throughout the State for a period of 42 weeks. This occurs as a series of rotations through different zones and includes clinics in rural, school, hospital and community-based settings.

Students are able to apply and further develop their diagnostic and clinical skills in a relatively independent environment with access to experienced practitioners.

Dental Students and Blood Borne Viruses 

The Dental Board of Queensland policy prevents dentists carrying blood-borne viruses from undertaking invasive procedures, the definition of which includes most aspects of clinical dentistry.  Students are therefere required to provide serological evidence of their status with respect to blood-borne transmissible viruses (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV).  Carriers of blood-borne transmissible viruses will not be permitted to enrol in the BDSc program.

Further Information

For further information, email  us or call (07) 336 58071 / 336 58104

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