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Royal Colleges of England for Dentistry - UK - 7

Updated: Feb 7, 2021


“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”-Vince Lombardi


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There are 4 Royal colleges of surgeons and a faculty of general dental surgery in the UK

They conduct exams and runs courses for the different specialities in dentistry along with the other surgical medical fields.Some of these exams are conducted in collaboration as Tri-Collegiate exam by the 3 different RCS (England,Edinburgh and Glasgow) together.

Membership exams for the following specialities are conducted as Tri-Collegiate exams as mentioned above are

The Examination will consist of:


  • A written paper containing 150 SBA questions.

  • An OSCE circuit with six stations based on communication/clinical/interpersonal skills.

  • Eight unseen cases and associated oral examinations. The unseen cases will be in the format of clinical scenarios. For each case, the candidate will be given five minutes to study the patient history, results of the examination and where appropriate, investigations (investigation or supporting material may include radiographs, scans, laboratory investigations, study models, photographs etc).

  • The structured oral examination relating to each case will last 15 minutes.


The examination will now consist of 3 components:


• A written paper of three hours duration consisting of 180 Single Best Answer (SBA) Questions

• Six Objective Structured Clinical Examination Stations (OSCE)

• Eight unseen cases and associated oral examinations



The examination will consist of 3 components:

• A written paper of three hours duration consisting of Single Best Answer Questions (180 SBAs)

• Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) comprising six stations

• Eight simulated cases – testing diagnosis and treatment planning.


Royal College of Surgeons of England


They conduct exams and runs courses for the following memberships and diplomas.

1. MFDS /MJDF - discussed in another blog

2. Membership exams for the following specialities


The exam consists of four parts.

  • A three hour written paper with six compulsory questions to be answered in general Restorative Dentistry.

  • A three hour written paper with three compulsory questions in the specialty of the candidate’s choice

  • Two 20-minute unseen case examination encounters, each based on a 20-minute review of the clinical records of a patient with a range of general restorative dental problems to cover assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis.

  • Four 20-minute unseen case examination encounters, each based on a 20-minute review of the clinical records of a patient in the candidate’s chosen specialty


The exam consists of four parts.

  • A three hour written paper with six compulsory questions to be answered in general Restorative Dentistry.

  • A three hour written paper with three compulsory questions in the speciality of the candidate’s choice

  • Two 20-minute unseen case examination encounters, each based on a 20-minute review of the clinical records of a patient with a range of general restorative dental problems to cover assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis.

  • Four 20-minute unseen case examination encounters, each based on a 20-minute review of the clinical records of a patient in the candidate’s chosen speciality


​​The exam consists of four parts.

  • A three hour written paper with six compulsory questions to be answered in general Restorative Dentistry.

  • A three hour written paper with three compulsory questions in the speciality of the candidate’s choice

  • Two 20-minute unseen case examination encounters, each based on a 20-minute review of the clinical records of a patient with a range of general restorative dental problems to cover assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and prognosis.

  • Four 20-minute unseen case examination encounters, each based on a 20-minute review of the clinical records of a patient in the candidate’s chosen speciality


3. LDS - discussed on a different blog

4. Fellowships



Eligibility

  • Postgraduate qualification(s)

  • Registration with the General Dental Council (GDC) in the UK (or by an equivalent body approved by the Faculty)

  • Before beginning the Preparing for Fellowship programme you will need full FGDP(UK) membership for one year. However, you can still begin your application beforehand.

  • Be of good standing with the GDC and FGDP(UK)

Portfolio required components are:


  • The Portfolio is the key component for the Preparing for Fellowship assessment. It should provide evidence of your contribution to clinical practice, or other achievement domains, which contribute to the delivery of patient care. It should demonstrate that you are a competent dentist, continually working to improve the standards of patient care.

  • Preparing for Fellowship involves the submission of a portfolio of achievement. The portfolio requires candidates to evidence achievements in primary dental care and their commitment to professional development. Candidates will be allocated a Facilitator who will mentor and offer advice on preparing the portfolio.


  • Introduction

  • Abridged CV

  • Brief personal statement outlining your wish to become an FGDP(UK), Fellow.

  • Evidence to support competencies for each of the 5 domains:

  1. Clinical

  2. Management and/or leadership

  3. Teaching, education and/or assessment

  4. Research

  5. Law and ethics 

  • A reflective account of a chosen domain(s)

5. Diploma


  • Diploma in Dental Public Health (DDPH)


Exam consists of

Part 1 -Two written papers. Paper 1 is an essay paper of three hours duration. The paper consists of four essay questions. Candidates are expected to answer all the questions.

Paper 2 is a short answer paper of three hours duration, normally held on the same day as Paper 1. The paper consists of 24 short notes questions. Candidates are expected to answer all the questions..


Part 2 of the DDPH is a structured clinical reasoning (SCR) assessment. The examination consists of four assessments and is of 80 minutes duration. Candidates will have 10 minutes preparation time followed by 10 minutes questioning with a different examiner for each SCR.






They conduct exams and runs courses for the below mentioned

1. MFDS/MJDF


  • To be eligible to enter for the examination all candidates must have a primary dental qualification that is acceptable to the College.

  • Candidates may apply for entry to the examination having completed 5 years of full time or equivalent part-time experience in General Dental Practice, acceptable to the College by the date of the examination

  • The examination will consist of 3 parts

  1. One written paper split into two halves, each of two hours duration, with a short break in between. This multiple short answer (MSA) paper will cover clinical and clinically related topics across all areas of General Dental Surgery

  2. Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Structured Oral Examination: This is a structured oral examination of eight simulated cases. These cases will cover diagnosis and treatment planning

  3. Clinical Problem Solving Structured Oral Examination: This is a structured oral examination of eight simulated cases.

  • To assess the skills and applied knowledge of the General Dental Practitioner who has been practising for five years or more.

  • The expected standard is that of a practitioner who has undertaken extensive postgraduate training, comparable with a three-year full-time training programme, to a level measurably beyond the level of the UK graduating dentist

  • The Exam I consists of two parts


  1. Written Examination The purpose of the written paper is to test applied knowledge and clinical judgement across the range of General Dental Practice There will be one written paper split into two halves, each of two hours duration, with a short break in between.

  2. The Unseen Case Structured Oral Examination. The purpose of the Unseen Case Structured Oral Examination is to assess the candidate’s skills in diagnosis, treatment planning and clinical judgement in relation to a range of simulated clinical cases. There will be eight 20 minute Structured Oral Examinations on eight simulated cases.

4. Membership exams for the following specialities

There are two separate parts of the examination:

Part A -The written examination will consist of two papers, each of two hours duration and each consisting of 90 Short Best Answer (SBA) questions as specified in the learning outcomes. - This exam can be taken in many locations internationally.


Part B – Clinical Examination This consists of four parts


  1. Diagnostic Examination This will comprise a two-hour examination (in two sections) on four patient histories and related diagnostic records. Candidates will be given fifteen minutes to study each patient history, followed by a fifteen-minute structured oral examination on each history.

  2. Oral Examination of the Clinical Case Histories An oral examination of one-hour duration based on FOUR documented clinical case histories (fifteen minutes per case), each describing a patient personally treated by the candidate.

  3. Oral Examination in Communication There will be a fifteen-minute assessment of a candidate’s ability to communicate aspects of orthodontic care and management to a simulated patient or parent as specified in the Learning Outcomes.

  4. Oral Examination on Orthodontics There will be a thirty-minute structured oral examination (two fifteen-minute orals) and questions may be asked on any aspect of Orthodontics

The examination comprises two components

  • This written component is delivered as two written papers, one in restorative dentistry as a whole and one in Prosthodontics, comprising Multiple Short Answer (MSA) questions

  • This is a structured oral component that is based on a series of 4 long and 8 short clinical scenarios.

  1. Long Cases-For each Long Case, candidates will have 15 minutes preparation time, followed by 15 minutes of oral examination time. The long cases are chosen such that 2 of them are speciality-specific and 2 are speciality based but also including general restorative components.

  2. Short Cases-For each Short Case, no candidate preparation time is allocated prior to the oral examination. The short cases are chosen such that 2 of them are speciality-specific and 6 are speciality-based but also including general restorative components.


The examination comprises two components

  • This written component is delivered as two written papers, one in restorative dentistry as a whole and one in Periodontics, comprising Multiple Short Answer (MSA) questions

  • This is a structured oral component that is based on a series of 4 long and 8 short clinical scenarios.

  1. Long Cases For each Long Case, candidates will have 15 minutes preparation time, followed by 15 minutes of oral examination time. The long cases are chosen such that 2 of them are speciality-specific and 2 are speciality-based but also including general restorative components.

  2. Short Cases For each Short Case, no candidate preparation time is allocated prior to the oral examination. The short cases are chosen such that 2 of them are speciality-specific and 6 are speciality based but also including general restorative components.


The examination comprises two components

  • This written component is delivered as two written papers, one in restorative dentistry as a whole and one in the candidate’s selected speciality Endodontics, comprising of Multiple Short Answer (MSA) questions

  • This is a structured oral component that is based on a series of 4 long and 8 short clinical scenarios.

  1. Long Cases For each Long Case, candidates will have 15 minutes preparation time, followed by 15 minutes of oral examination time. The long cases are chosen such that 2 of them are speciality-specific and 2 are speciality based but also including general restorative components.

  2. Short Cases For each Short Case, no candidate preparation time is allocated prior to the oral examination. The short cases are chosen such that 2 of them are speciality-specific and 6 are speciality based but also including general restorative components.


The examination will consist of

  • A written examination of 180 minutes duration. This will consist of Multiple Choice Questions in the Single Best Answer (SBA) format. Candidates will be awarded one mark for each correct answer and will not be penalised for incorrect answers.

  • An examination of clinical reasoning relevant to the practice of Special Care Dentistry consisting of:

  1. A structured oral examination based on two documented clinical cases personally treated by the candidate. (15 minutes per case).

  2. A structured oral based on four simulated cases with 10 minutes preparation time and 10 minutes of examination time for each case (80 minutes)

  • An examination on decision-making in the clinical environment relevant to the practice of Special Care Dentistry consisting of a structured oral examination based on:

  1. Six unseen cases with 5 minutes preparation time and 5 minutes of examination time for each case (60 minutes)

  2. A structured oral examination based on a minimum of 4 cases from the different chosen domains in the logbook of clinical experience (30 minutes).


3.LDS

4. Fellowships

The Examination for the Specialty of Oral Medicine will be a Conjoint Examination with the Part B of the American Board of Oral Medicine, which is their Specialist Training Exit Examination.


The conjoint examination for the Fellowship in Dental Surgery will comprise four sections

  • Pharmacology/Pharmacotherapeutics

  • Orofacial Pain/Temporomandibular disorders

  • Medically Compromised and Laboratory Medicine

  • Oral Mucosal Disease and Salivary Gland Disorders

The Examination will consist of one 45 minutes oral examination on each of the above subjects (a total of four oral Examinations).


5. Diploma


Eligibility

  • Work as a qualified dentist for at least 3 years, including the completion of 36 months full-time postgraduate experience in dentistry (general practice, hospital, community, academic, armed forces) acceptable to the College by the date of the examination. Normally, the equivalent part-time experience will be acceptable if gained within a period of 6 years.

  • Undertaken treatment of 15 cases, 2 of which should have at least 1 year follow up, (1 edentulous case, 5 cases demonstrating some evidence of minor augmentation, 4 cases with single unit replacements and 5 which could be multiple implants in different quadrants of the mouth or 2 implants supporting a 3-unit bridge)

  • Undertaken a minimum of 30 hours of continuing professional development related to Implant Dentistry with reflective comments within the past 18 months

  • Completed a quality improvement project related to Implant Dentistry undertaken within the past 18 months

Exam consists of


  • Written Component - consists of 2 written papers. Each paper will consist of single best answers (SBAs) aimed at testing the application of knowledge. Compensation between papers is allowed.

  • Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Communication -It will consist of a series of short stations over a total of approximately 70 minutes’ duration, which includes time to read candidate instructions prior to each station.

  • Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Practical & Procedural Knowledge & Skills This component is aimed at enabling the candidate to demonstrate procedural knowledge and practical skills in the context of implant treatment. It will consist of a series of short stations over a total of approximately 70 minutes’ duration, which includes time to read candidate instructions prior to each station.

  • Structured Oral Examination on Clinical Scenarios This component is a structured oral examination of a series of simulated cases (clinical scenarios) aimed at testing the candidates higher-order thinking, clinical judgement and decision making. Each unseen case will be explored in-depth and breadth simulating a ‘live clinical situation’. Each case examination will include reading time of the simulated case documentation prior to the start of the structured oral examination.


Eligibility

  • Candidates must have been working as a qualified dentist for at least three years, including the completion of a minimum of 2 years full-time postgraduate experience in Special Care Dentistry or be on a recognised Specialist training programme in Special Care Dentistry


The exam consist of two parts

  • Part A: One written examination.

  • Part B: A structured oral examination testing clinical reasoning skills relevant to Special Care Dentistry. This part of the examination will examine eight unseen cases.


Royal College of physicians and surgeons of Glasgow

1. Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examinations - IFSE


  • Award of the Diploma of Fellowship in a specific speciality indicates that a candidate has attained the knowledge and experience, as well as satisfied the necessary training programme requirements, to proceed to practice independently as a consultant within their speciality.

  • The College acts as the Secretariat of the Intercollegiate Specialty Fellowship Examinations Boards in Dental Specialties and is responsible for the professional conduct of the examinations on behalf of the Faculties of Dental Surgery of the:

  1. Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

  2. Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

  3. Royal College of Surgeons of England

  4. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland


2. Membership exams for speciality

This speciality membership diploma equips dental practitioners with expertise in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment. Award of the MOrth diploma demonstrates an understanding of diagnosis and treatment planning.


Internationally, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow delivers these examinations in Chennai, India.

​​

3. MFDS

Royal College of surgeons in Ireland



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