The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has announced a new undergraduate dental degree commencing in 2025.
The RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences will offer a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from September 2025. Student recruitment will begin shortly, with prospective students able to apply for a place this year and graduate in 2030.
Conceived in collaboration with Plymouth’s Peninsula Dental School, the degree will be the first community-based undergraduate dental programme in Ireland. The RCSI hopes that the community approach will benefit local disadvantaged communities who struggle to access dental care.
Professor Cathal Kelly, vice-chancellor of the RCSI, said: ‘The RCSI mission “to educate, nurture and discover for the benefit of human health” informs and guides our strategic vision. Our commitment to launching a Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme, and reopening our School of Dentistry, reflects the importance of dentistry to human health and the key imperative of increasing access to dental care for communities across Ireland.’
‘Innovating to meet evolving healthcare needs’
Regulatory support for the course has been provided by the Dental Council of Ireland. Paul Lyons, head of education at the Dental Council, commented on the council’s support for the programme. He said: ‘RCSI is to be congratulated on the work that has been completed to date on this emerging programme. The Dental Council looks forward to continuing to engage with RCSI for the duration of the programme’s further development and roll-out.’
Professor Albert Leung is head of the School of Dentistry at the RCSI. He said: ‘We welcome the Dental Council’s support for this landmark new degree programme. We look forward to continuing to engage closely with the Dental Council as the programme is rolled out.
‘We have a chronic shortage of dentists, a situation that negatively impacts both the oral and general health. RCSI’s new Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme responds to the need to increase access to dental care and builds on our rich heritage in dental education and track record of innovating in response to meet evolving healthcare needs.’
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