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Dental Nurse Practice

Entry requirements


32-48 UCAS tariff points from 1 A level or equivalent in a science-based subject.

Pass QAA recognised Access course preferably in a science subject, including a biology module. Health and social care subject is acceptable if it includes a biology module. Communication and Application of Number at level 2 are acceptable in place of GCSE grade 4 (C) in English Language and maths.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

In addition to level 3 qualifications, GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above (or equivalent) in English Language, maths and science are required. Key Skills/Functional Skills Level 2 in Communication and Application of Number can be accepted in place of English and Maths GCSE.

32 UCAS tariff points from 2 or 3 Irish highers/honours subjects.

48 UCAS tariff points (PPP) in a science, health or dental related subject.

40 points from 1 Advanced Higher or equivalent.

42 points from 2 Highers or equivalent.

UCAS Tariff

32-48

In addition to academic requirements, successful interview, satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and references and completed work based risk assessment are required.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

1year

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Dentistry

**Course overview**: This course is ideal if you are looking to pursue a career in dental nursing. You study the foundations of dental care and learn and develop practical skills specific to your profession. The course is perfect if you want to gain an academic qualification while providing support to the dental team and reassurance to patients in our student dental facility and on dental practice placement.

The role of a dental nurse includes: providing reassurance and support to patients, preparing and maintaining the clinical environment, providing a high standard of cross-infection control, assisting with taking and processing dental radiographs, preparing instruments, materials, medicaments and equipment, recording assessments spoken by the dental team, assisting the dental team throughout all aspects of dentistry.

As with all healthcare professionals the public place a high level of expectation and trust in their dental nurse. So to work in this sector it is essential that you are able to demonstrate the core values embedded within the NHS Constitution: working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives, everyone counts.

Throughout the course, as part of the placement experience, you may be required to participate in a shift pattern rota or work weekends. Please note 100% attendance is expected during this programme.

On successful completion of the course, you will be eligible to register with the General Dental Council as a dental nurse.

**After the course**: Opportunities are available for employment within NHS and private dental practices, hospitals and in the community. Once qualified you can work in the UK and overseas as a dental nurse. Successful completion gives you the opportunity to further your career if you wish, or progress to study BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene, or various other career opportunities.

Modules

Access course information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).

Assessment methods

Access assessment information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£6,150
per year
Northern Ireland
£6,150
per year
Republic of Ireland
£6,150
per year
Scotland
£6,150
per year
Wales
£6,150
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Teesside University

Department:

Nursing, Midwifery and Health Professions

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

82%
Dentistry

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Dentistry

Teaching and learning

100%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
88%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
94%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

82%
Library resources
88%
IT resources
94%
Course specific equipment and facilities
47%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
13%
Male students
87%
Female students

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
A*

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Dentistry

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

100%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

88%
Health associate professionals
13%
Health professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Dentistry

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£27k

£27k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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