Course detail
Description
The Orthodontics MSc programme is based at King’s College London Dental Institute with clinical treatment clinics at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which collectively with King’s College London form King’s Health Partners. Orthodontic trainees also rotate out to undertake patient treatment sessions at a number of peripheral hospital units within South East England.
The course is based on the UK General Dental Council Orthodontic curriculum and is delivered through lectures, practical and technical teaching elements, clinical seminars, tutorials, self-directed learning, supervised clinical treatment of patients and attendance on diagnostic and multidisciplinary outpatient clinics.
Academic and clinical teaching is supported by a local virtual learning environment and also through access to the British Orthodontic Society national online learning programme. Assessment is through written, oral and practical examinations, clinical work-based assessments, case presentations, patient logbooks and the submission of a research dissertation.
Students undertake a dedicated research project as part of their course and the Dental Institute at King’s provides an environment enriched with internationally recognized academics to facilitate this. In recent years, students have undertaken projects incorporating many different subject areas including clinical orthodontics, craniofacial biology, dental materials science, clinical psychology and dental public health.
Students are encouraged to register and undertake a King’s Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice to further develop their educational skills. The programme complies with the principles of Erasmus and supports the European Union directives on specialisation in orthodontics.
The course prepares you to sit the Membership in Orthodontics (MOrth) examination of the United Kingdom Royal Surgical Colleges.
Course format and assessment
Teaching
The usual training period wil be a minimum of 4,500 hours over the degree.
The course content is apportioned approximately as:
- 33% clinical
- 33% academic
- 34% research
This time allocation is flexible and will depend upon the capacity of the trainees to complete the curriculum to a competent level.
Standard university term times do not apply to this course. You will receive a leave allowance for each academic year with full details provided on enrolment.
Assessment
Science of Orthodontics – essay paper.
Clinical Orthodontic Theory – essay paper.
Clinical Orthodontics – unseen clinical cases, practical exam, presentation of treated cases, oral examination.
Orthodontic Research – research dissertation, oral examination.
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they may change if the course modules change.
Extra information
Entry to the programme is strictly dependent upon occupational health clearance that you are able to conduct exposure prone procedures (EPPs) before you start clinical work.
This will assess your hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C antibody status, HIV and TB status following the completion of a health questionnaire and a further health check before or at enrolment. If offered a place on the course, overseas students are advised to be tested locally and send the results of these checks with the questionnaire, prior to a separate full test in the UK at the College's Occupational Health Department before term begins. All offers of a place on a programme are made subject to a satisfactory criminal conviction disclosure. If you are from overseas or have never lived in the UK before, you should contact the relevant authorities in your home country to arrange for the equivalent check to be conducted and/or a certificate of good conduct to be issued.
NHS Hospital Trusts
The clinical component of the course may include sessions at some of the following hospital trusts. This is a unique aspect of the training on this course and provides the students with the opportunity for a very wide-based clinical experience.
- William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, Kent;
- Kingston Hospital;
- Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead;
- Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton;
- Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup;
- Medway Maritime Hospital;
- St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust;
- Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford;
- Croydon University Hospital.