The examination is comprised of two parts that are typically held two months apart and at two different locations in Ireland – Dublin and Cork. Both parts of the examination must be passed in order to be eligible to access the Register of Dentists, and candidates must successfully pass Part 1 in order to progress to Part 2.
Part 1 of the examination comprises three written papers and also a “bench test” (a practical examination in operative dentistry techniques).
The three written papers are as follows: –
The papers will typically be in a Short Answer Question (SAQ) format.
Part 2 of the examination comprises three separate components – written papers, an OSCE and clinical vivas.
The written component comprises three papers as follows: – ‘Restorative Dentistry’, ‘Oral Surgery/Oral Medicine’ and ‘Child Dental Health’. Papers will typically be in a Short Answer Question (SAQ) format.
The OSCE – Objective Structured Clinical Examination – comprises a number of clinical and rest stations and is designed to assess candidate proficiency in diagnosis, treatment planning and clinical decision-making, in addition to assessment of some commonly used basic clinical skills.
The clinical viva component involves candidates engaging with pairs of examiners in a face-to-face setting for assessment on clinical scenarios in the areas of ‘Restorative Dentistry’, ‘Oral Surgery/Oral Medicine’, and ‘Child Dental Health’.
