Our MSc/PgDip Dental Implantology programme provides the busy General Dental Practitioner with a part-time educational route to acquire the skills and knowledge required of a Dentist with Special Interest (DwiSI). This programme focuses on contemporary practice, teaching evidence-based principles and systems to ensure an optimal outcome for the patient and practitioner.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Applicants admitted onto the course will meet the following requirements:

• be qualified as a Dental Surgeon and have a license to practice dentistry.
• be registered with the General Dental Council (or equivalent)
• be in professional practice or have a hospital appointment for a minimum of 2 years.
• be registered with a Defence Union.
• possess indemnity insurance with cover at an appropriate level
• possess a current certificate of immunisation against communicable disease (Hepatitis B)
• Have sufficient competency in English language (IELTS level 7 or equivalent). Competency may be demonstrated by qualification,   accreditation of prior learning or separate University assessment.

All suitable applicants will be interviewed.  Interview procedures and decisions regarding applications will be conducted within the University’s policies on equal opportunities and admissions.

Course Content

Treatment planning
Medico-legal considerations
Bone physiology and healing
Pharmacology
Appropriate radiographic techniques, including 3D scans
Medical contra-indications
Periodontal disease
Management of major grafted patients
Soft tissue techniques
Restorative protocol
Sinus lift
Augmentation materials
Surgical guides
Implant exposure
Post restorative management

Course at a Glance

During the course (2 years PgDip; 3 years MSc) you will be expected to attend up to 15 study/assessment days per year. Many of these sessions will be within the School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education on the main UCLan Preston campus, though some sessions will be timetabled in one of the approved Clinical Training Centres, where you will observe, assist and ultimately lead in clinical treatment.  To accompany the study days, much of the course content, including lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, videos of lectures and assignments will be delivered to you via the University’s Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) allowing you to both prepare work for study days and undertake additional work independently from your home location.

Work in the early part of the course will comprise plenary lectures and practical sessions in our state-of-the-art phantom head facility and work on pigs head and similar systems. As you move through the course you will progress to working on live patients under close supervision within one of our approved Clinical Training Facilitates.  Here skills will be developed and assessed through Direct Observations of Procedural Skills (DOPS).  You will also be expected to generate a portfolio of clinical cases that will be regularly reviewed and assessed by the Course Team.  The academic underpinning that supports this discipline will be developed though plenary lectures, directed reading and case-based discussions, which you and others in the group will be expected to prepare and lead.  Group sizes are generally small (typically 12 per cohort) leading to an informal and supportive learning environment where you can ensure that your own learning needs are being met.
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Year 1

Clinical Knowledge of Dental Implantology (20 credits)
This module introduces foundation topics relating to the safe practice of dental implantology. The module will cover the basic sciences underpinning the clinical aspects of implant treatment and will cover patient examination, treatment planning, complications and case selection.
• Case assessment and treatment planning
• Medico legal implications of implant treatment
• Osseointegration
• Implant design
• Abutment design
• Flap design
• Wound healing
• Minor augmentation, techniques and materials
• Pharmacology and therapeutics
• Radiology in implant dentistry
• Placement protocols
• Loading protocols
• Occlusion
• Prosthesis design

Clinical Practice of Dental Implantology (20 credits)
This module introduces the necessary practical skills required for safe implant treatment within a primary dental care environment. Initially, practical procedures will be demonstrated, supervised and assessed within the UCLan clinical training facility using the available manikins. You will then carry out clinical procedures under the supervision of an experienced clinical tutor within an approved clinical training centre. In addition case presentation and critical case analysis of your own patients will be undertaken and peer discussion actively encouraged.
• In depth patient consultation
• Patient counselling, with regard to alternative treatment options, education of patient to risks and benefits of dental implant treatment
• Measuring the of width of the bony ridge with aid of ridge mapping instruments
• Measuring the height of the bony ridge with the aid of transparencies
• Surgery set-up for implant dentistry
• Contemporaneous note taking
• Implant placement and restoration on models and patients

Appraising the Dental Literature (20 credits)
The module seeks to develop your ability to locate, select and interpret information from a wide variety of published sources related to dentistry and oral health, and to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the dental literature using objective methodologies.

Year 2

Enhanced Clinical Knowledge of Dental Implantology (20 credits)
This module further develops knowledge of dental implant treatment, building on the foundations developed in the first year. You will study advances in implantology and will gain knowledge of the contemporary implant techniques that have widened and strengthened the clinician’s treatment portfolio.
• Pharmacological aspects of implant treatment.
• The therapeutic use of antibiotics
• Management of occlusion in implant dentistry
• Pre implant periodontal treatment
• Management of bone defects: major, moderate and minor
• Fixed versus removable restorations on implants
• The SAC classification
• Optimal 3D placement of dental implants
• Computer assisted treatment planning and implant placement
• Conscious sedation and implant dentistry

Enhanced Clinical Practice of Dental Implantology (20 credits)
This module introduces further practical skills required for effective implant treatment. The module will introduce more advanced clinical procedures to be carried out under the supervision of an experienced clinical tutor within an approved clinical training centre.  In addition case presentation and critical case analysis of your own patients will be undertaken and peer discussion actively encouraged.
• Case selection and referral.
• Management of bone defects - major, moderate and minor
• Piezosurgery in block grafting and sinus lift
• Soft tissue augmentation
• Implant placement and restoration on patients

Evidence Based Dentistry (20 credits)
The module seeks to develop your skills in order to plan, undertake and present the findings of a dental or oral health related research project.

Year 3

The Business of Dental Practice (20 credits)
The module will provide instruction in economically based topics expected of dental professionals trying to develop and mature a professional clinical practice. You will be given updates on key economic topics vital for successful dental practice functioning. These will cover areas of finance, marketing, recruitment and commissioning. You will be encouraged to use your own experiences to drive forward exploration of these areas in greater detail. These experiences will be augmented by learning events provided within the course.

Dentistry Professional Project (40 credits)
The dissertation will form a major component in the final year of the Masters programme. You will be expected to take responsibility for designing, conducting and analysing the results of a substantial investigation, which will make a contribution to the discipline under scrutiny. You will be encouraged to adopt a balanced perspective in the treatment process as they analyse the research material. The project will be written up in the agreed Masters degree format. You will also be encouraged to write a short article suitable for submission for presentation at appropriate conference and where possible for publication in a specialty related journal. This will provide you with an opportunity to develop a professional writing style and to achieve publication.

Assessment:

Each Module of your course will have a series of assessments and examinations - these are designed to develop and test your core knowledge and skills at regular intervals throughout the programme.  Assessments focus on your higher levels skills of diagnosis and planning, rather than simply remembering facts.  Typical assessments would include analysis of given clinical cases OSCEs, portfolios and essays.

Learning Environment:

The programme encompasses a blended learning approach and consists of a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, clinic training sessions and laboratory visits. Each person will be assigned a personal tutor for the entire programme.

Careers:

See course leader.

Other Opportunities:

The MSc and PgDip both carry 60 clinical and 30 “others” credits towards the FGDP Career Pathway.  The course will also provide you with over 200 hours of verifiable CPD.

Fees and Finance

The standard fee for this course will be: £500 per module

For further information including the availability of bursaries/scholarships or student financial support please view our Fees and Finance pages.