Get student dental treatment from Dundee Dental Hospital

Our undergraduate dental students will complete the treatment under the supervision of a qualified dentist.

We appreciate you participating and helping our students get the necessary experience to allow them to fully qualify and practice independently.

Student clinics are not covered by national waiting time standards.

Am I eligible for free treatment?

Not all patients are suitable for treatment in student clinics. When you submit an application form, you will be placed on a waiting list for an initial screening assessment (not a full check-up).

At this visit, you will meet a member of dental staff who will provide you with further information about student treatment and make sure that the treatment you need can be provided at a student clinic.

During periods of high demand, the wait for a screening appointment can be up to 6 months.

If you are accepted for treatment, you will then be placed on an appropriate student clinic waiting list for treatment. As a patient, you will be made dentally fit. This may take more than one academic year and involve different departments. You then may be discharged to register with a General Dental Practitioner.

Types of treatment available

The treatment offered is similar to that available from a high street dentist, dental therapist, or hygienist.

You may be eligible for treatment if you need:

• routine fillings
• simple gum treatment
• limited crowns and bridgework
• dentures
• root canal fillings
• teeth removed

What is not available

The following treatments are not provided by our students:

• second opinions on proposed treatment from another dentist
• dental implants
• tooth whitening
• repeated and complicated root canal treatment
• complicated crown and bridge work
• orthodontics
• treatment requiring sedation or a general anaesthetic
• ongoing maintenance and review

In most cases, student treatment is not suitable for patients:

• requiring hospital transport
• with a complex medical history
• not suitable for patients who have their own dentist (unless on referral from their dentist) 
• who weigh more than 28 stone

To be eligible for treatment you should be able to:

• cope with long appointments (90-180 mins)
• lie flat in a dental chair
• give independent informed consent

Appointments

Our students have a fixed and limited amount of time so we rely on patients who can commit to attend reliably for their appointments. Students get their work checked by staff at each stage which means that their appointments will be longer and more frequent than would be expected for treatment from a high street dental clinic.

If you fail to attend appointments or cancel appointments last minute, this can have a significant impact on our students. Patients who cannot commit to attending regularly are not suitable for treatment on student clinics.

Emergency care

Emergency dental treatment will not be provided by your allocated dental student. If emergency dental care is required, you may contact dental A+E on the first floor.

Patients may access services via NHS Tayside or NHS 24 (dial 111) For out of hours and weekend emergency dental care.

Treatment provided by dental students terms and conditions

• By attending the undergraduate student clinic at Dundee Dental Hospital and Research School you accept that your dental treatment will be carried out by undergraduate dental students under the supervision of a suitably qualified dentist or dental therapist.
• Student clinics are not covered by national waiting time standards and are available Monday to Friday (09:00 - 15:30) during University term time only.
• Treatment will take longer to complete than at a high-street dental practice as students work slower than fully qualified dental professionals.
• Appointments with students normally take around 90 minutes.
• If a longer appointment is required, the student will inform you. Please consider this when arranging to park if you are travelling by car.
• We cannot guarantee that all your treatment will be carried out by the same student or under the supervision of the same qualified member of staff.
• Some types of treatment (implants, tooth whitening, orthodontics, general anaesthetic, or sedation) are not offered in our undergraduate student clinics.
• Your treatment will be provided for free, but the cost is your time and commitment.
• If you are unable to attend the student clinic when required, then the offer of student treatment at DDH&RS will be withdrawn.
• If you do not turn up to your appointment, then the offer of student treatment will be withdrawn.
• If you can no longer attend an appointment, please contact DDH&RS to cancel the appointment as soon as you know that you will not be able to attend. This may allow another patient to take your appointment. The telephone number will be on your appointment letter.
• If you require emergency dental treatment you may contact the dental A+E department. Patients may access services via NHS Tayside or NHS 24 (dial 111).
• Once your treatment is complete, you may be discharged from the dental school clinics and asked to register with a dentist.
• If your treatment is not suitable for students, or if it is too complex, then you will be informed about this and asked to register with a dentist.
• NHS Tayside and the University of Dundee have a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour. If at any point a patient or carer displays inappropriate behaviour towards any student or member of staff, treatment will be immediately withdrawn.