There is no doubt that dental nurses are valuable members of the dental team. The General Dental Council (GDC) describes dental nurses as ‘registered dental professionals who provide clinical and other support to registrants and patients’. As a member of the dental team, it is easy to recall multiple moments when a dental nurse offers assistance with not only patient care and organisation but with implausible knowledge, which only comes after years of experience in a dental environment.

Since July 2008 the GDC has required all dental nurses to hold a valid qualification and be registered. It takes on average 18 to 24 months to qualify as a dental nurse and training primarily occurs in general dental practice or hospital. Further training enables dental nurses to undertake additional duties such as taking radiographs and impressions.

Some dental nurses utilise their nursing experience and qualifications as a gateway to other careers. Dental nurses are fittingly positioned to develop their profession by becoming dental therapists and dental hygienists and whilst it is common for dental nurses to make this progression, it is less common for them to become dentists. Career progression is not only a stimulating and rewarding experience, it can also provide the opportunity for increased financial income. It is well noted that dental nurses commonly earn less than the national average salary and the low wage has been a contentious topic for many years.

A survey conducted in 2013 found that dental nurses want more responsibility and involvement with patients, together with more respect, recognition (pay) and gratitude from employers.1 Career progression within the dental speciality is one way dental nurses can achieve this.

It would be expected that if an individual has vast exposure in the dental environment and can prove they have gained considerable dental knowledge and experience that this should contribute to becoming a dental surgeon. Our question is therefore, are there opportunities for dental nurses to qualify as dentists and if so, what pathways are available?

Are dental nursing qualifications recognised as part of a dentistry application?

There are a total of 16 dental schools in the UK that deliver a dentistry course. Each dental school sets out clear entry requirements, which include school/college/university qualifications such as A levels, International Baccalaureate and degree level qualifications. Dentistry applicants are also encouraged to obtain work experience as well as undertaking extracurricular activities.

We carried out a survey of all UK dental schools’ dentistry entry requirements to determine whether GDC approved dental nursing qualifications are accepted as part of a dentistry application. Each school was also contacted via email to confirm their entry requirements. The results are visible in Table 1, which shows only one UK dental school recognises a dental nursing certificate alongside other qualifications. Most dental schools require dental nurses to complete three A Levels (at minimum AAA in scientific subjects) or encourage application to access courses and completely disregard any dental nursing qualifications.

Table 1 Which UK dental schools recognise dental nursing qualifications in applications for dentistry?
Full size table

Conclusion

From the data shown in Table 1, it could be suggested that UK dental schools overlook the experience and knowledge of dental nurses by not supporting their existing credentials. The University of Sheffield accepts dentistry applicants with an approved dental nursing certificate alongside six A grades at GCSE and two A Levels at minimum grade BB (chemistry and biology). This prestigious dental school is the only establishment in the UK to set this acceptance criterion, which is commendable to say the least.

It would be naïve to assume that dental nurses would need no additional qualifications to support a dentistry application; however, a case could be argued that dental nursing qualifications should be recognised when dental nurses apply for dentistry.

‘The only source of knowledge is experience’ are the famous words of Albert Einstein which leaves food for thought whether UK dental schools should reevaluate their entry requirements for our well respected dental nurses. Our opinion stands that dental schools should be taking advantage of the experience, knowledge and skills of dental nurses by offering improved access to dentistry.

Finally, the question that prevails is, is it appropriate not to take into consideration dental nursing qualifications, when dental nurses apply to undertake dentistry? Or should dental schools be following in the footsteps of Sheffield dental school by supporting dental nurses and reduce entry requirements, to assist them in qualifying as dentists?

Further reading in BDJ Team on dental nurse conditions and salaries

  1. 1

    Sembawa S, Wanyonyi K L, Gallagher J E. Career motivation, expectations and influences of trainee dental nurses. BDJ Team 26 September 2014; doi:10.1038/bdjteam.2014.99. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam201499.

  2. 2

    Why are dental nurse salaries so low? BDJ Team 7 October 2016; doi:10.1038/bdjteam.2016.152. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam2016152.

  3. 3

    ‘I left dental nursing to become an HGV driver’BDJ Team 6 January 2017; doi:10.1038/bdjteam.2017.7. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam20177.

  4. 4

    Mindak M T. Service quality in dentistry: the role of the dental nurse. BDJ Team 3 November 2017; doi:10.1038/bdjteam.2017.177. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/bdjteam2017177.

This is an original article submitted to BDJ Team. To access our new manuscript submission portal, please visit http://mts-bdjteam.nature.com/cgi-bin/main.plex.