Get treatment from Dundee Dental Hospital

It is important that our dental students gain the necessary experience of routine dentistry in adults and children before we can allow them to qualify and practice independently. 

We offer free routine dental treatment from our undergraduate clinical students at Dundee Dental Hospital. Students are always supervised by a qualified Dentist or Dental therapist.

Am I eligible for free treatment?

Not all patients are able to be treated by students. Your first appointment will involve a check-up of your teeth and mouth when a qualified member of staff will let you know what treatment is likely to be needed and to make sure that your treatment could be completed by a student.

Types of treatment available

The treatment offered is similar to that available from a high street Dentist, Hygienist, or Dental Therapist.

You may be eligible for treatment if you need:

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

Treatment for children

Your child may be eligible for treatment if they need:

• fissure sealants and other preventive measures
• routine fillings
• stainless steel crowns
• teeth removed

What is not available

The following treatments are not provided by our students:

• dental implants
• tooth whitening
• repeated and complicated root canal treatment
• complicated crown and bridge work
• orthodontics

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

• requiring hospital transport
• unable to cope with long appointments
• unable to lie flat in a dental chair
• with complex or significant medical problems
• requiring treatment under sedation
• unable to give independent informed consent

As with adult patients, the care that your child needs may not be suitable for our students.

If you, or your child, are not able to be treated by our students, we will let you know, and advise you who should provide the necessary care.

Appointments

Our students have a fixed and limited amount of time to see patients 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 normally be longer and more frequent than would be expected for treatment from a high street dentist.

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 may not be suitable for treatment by one of our students. Under these circumstances, we may advise you to seek treatment elsewhere. Your treatment will be provided for free, but the cost is in your time and commitment.

Emergency care

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

For out of hours care, patients may access services via NHS Tayside or NHS 24 (dial 111).

Treatment provided by dental students terms and conditions

• By attending the undergraduate student clinic at Dundee Dental Hospital (DDH), 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 will be needed, the student will inform you. Please consider this when arranging parking if you are travelling by car.
• We cannot guarantee that all your treatment will be carried out by the same student or under supervision of the same qualified member of staff.
• Some types of treatment (e.g. implants and tooth whitening) are not offered on 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 will be withdrawn.
• If you do not turn up to your appointment, then the offer of student treatment will be withdrawn and you will be asked to contact your own dentist or register with a dentist if you do not have one.
• If you can no longer attend an appointment, please contact DDH 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 this should be undertaken by your own dentist. If you are not registered with a dentist visit mygov.scot for details on how to register.
• Once your course of treatment is complete, you may be discharged from the dental school clinic. We cannot guarantee ongoing review at the dental school.
• If your treatment is not suitable for students, or if it is too complex, then you will be informed about this and asked to contact your own dentist or register with a dentist if you do not have one.
• NHS Tayside and the University of Dundee have a zero tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour. If at any point a patient or carer displayed inappropriate behaviour towards any student or member of staff, treatment will be immediately withdrawn.