Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy

Our BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy course integrates clinical dentistry, science and professional development. You will graduate from Leeds as a highly qualified, well-equipped and insightful professional who can think critically and work independently. You will be able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to practice as a General Dental Council defined Safe Practitioner Dental Hygienist and Therapist.

You will engage in clinical learning from an early stage so you can apply your academic knowledge to the clinical environment. You will develop your skills in clinical reasoning, communication and leadership, as well as your ability to work as part of a dental team. Clinical skills are developed using the latest simulation technology; following this, you will gain experience with real patients in a range of clinical environments.

Your learning will integrate key cultural and societal themes such as equality, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability. You will learn about how to be a socially accountable practitioner with an understanding of population needs, including inequalities in the provision of dental care. You will be able to explore how research and service development advance our understanding of dental science and the improvement of patient care by undertaking a Capstone Project in your final year.

Becoming an effective and ethical professional is a key part of your experience on the course. You will learn to become resilient and adaptable, and identify your ongoing development needs. As a dental hygiene and dental therapy student you will be expected to demonstrate the highest standards of professional behaviours that will continue into your career.

Completing the course will demonstrate you have developed the skills needed to fulfil the role of a dental hygienist and dental therapist, in a range of settings within the dental profession.

Course highlights

The School of Dentistry, in partnership with Leeds Dental Institute, is one of only a few dental schools in the UK where the whole dental team (dentists, dental therapists, hygienists, technicians and dental nurses) is educated together.

The first two years of the course are co-taught with the first two years of the BChD Dental Surgery course. This encourages a community of learning and will prepare you to work as a member of the dental team, sharing experiences and sharing the care of patients.

You will benefit from early clinical experiences in your first year. Throughout your course you will have access to our recently refurbished School of Dentistry Clinical Skills Classroom and our Dental Haptic Simulator Classroom.

We use the latest digital scanning and printing technology to give you high-fidelity simulated learning experiences. You’ll also be able to experience the School’s Medical Emergency simulation room. This allows you to learn (with video feedback) and be assessed on the management of simulated dental emergencies.

We combine our simulated clinical skills teaching with your experience in the real patient environment. You will learn to manage the comprehensive dental care of child and adult patients in a range of environments, both within our central Dental Institute and at our outreach centres. You will have access to a diversity of patient populations with varied dental care needs.

The School is also at the forefront of scientific and clinical research, which directly benefit our patients and informs our research-led teaching. We are active in oral biological science, dental public health, digital dentistry and translational clinical science, as well as educational research. Students are encouraged to explore their areas of interest, and work with leading researchers and clinicians in the School as part of their Capstone project.