The BDS and how the five stages run
The School of Dental Sciences is at Framlington Place, in the same building as Newcastle Dental Hospital on the Royal Victoria Infirmary site. You are taught alongside the BSc Dental Therapy students.
In February 2025 the school opened £5.5 million of new clinical simulation facilities, with new phantom heads, mouth scanners and 3D printing. Newcastle says its dental students treat about 30,000 patients a year.
The five stages, from Newcastle's course page
- Stage 1
Scientific foundations
Cell biology, head and neck anatomy, physiology and communication skills.
Shadowing on clinic - Stage 2
Evidence-based dentistry
Immunology, pharmacology, microbiology and dental materials.
Phantom heads - Stage 3 · Patients
Your own patients
Fillings, root treatments, extractions and dentures, under close supervision.
Dental Hospital - Stage 4
Half on clinic
About half your time on patient care, with orthodontics, implants and sedation.
Dental Hospital - Stage 5
Final year
As stage 4, with clinical work taking up much of your time.
BDS
Entry requirements and how to apply
A-level route
AAA including Biology and Chemistry, or 36 points in the IB. Every applicant sits the UCAT in the year they apply.
PARTNERS route
PARTNERS supports applicants from under-represented backgrounds from application through to study. For dentistry it gives a two-grade reduction, where the general page advertises up to three.
The interview
A panel with two selectors, scored on preparation, learning skills, teamwork, resilience, communication and professionalism.
Contextual offers
Newcastle also uses contextual data, Realising Opportunities and the Pathways to Newcastle route. See how its PARTNERS offer compares with the other dental schools.
Clinical training and outreach
Outreach in the community
Outreach runs in community clinics around the city. Newcastle names Arthur's Hill, Byker, Kenton and Walker.
New simulation facilities
Opened in February 2025: phantom heads, prosthetics training, an X-ray department, mouth scanners and 3D printing, with live streaming of treatment for teaching.
Student life in Newcastle
DentSoc
The dental society runs Friday events in the Crown and Bridge, the school's own social space, plus a dental ball, mystery tours, intramural sport and charity fundraising.
Newcastle: DentSocOne building
The school and Newcastle Dental Hospital share one building at Framlington Place, on the Royal Victoria Infirmary site.
Newcastle: Dental SurgeryTaught with therapists
You learn alongside the BSc Dental Therapy students, the way dentists and therapists work together in practice.
Newcastle: Dental SurgeryFees and key dates
Newcastle notes that some degrees involve extra costs beyond tuition fees.
Source: Newcastle: Dental Surgery BDS; Newcastle: School of Dental Sciences admissions policy 2026
Key dates
Funding and support
No funding specific to this school is listed here. What you can get depends on where you live and where you study.
Strengths and things to plan for
- New facilities. £5.5 million of clinical simulation facilities opened in February 2025.
- One building. The school and the dental hospital are under one roof.
- Community outreach. Named clinics in Arthur's Hill, Byker, Kenton and Walker.
- UCAT ranking. Applicants are ranked on the UCAT for interview.
- Work experience. Ten days of relevant experience asked for.
- The interview. Interview scores are the basis for the offer.
- Resits. Considered from previous applicants, at one grade higher.
Who to believe, and in what order
DentiSpark is not the authority on any of this, and does not want to be. Newcastle University's own pages are the authority on what it will ask of you; where anything here disagrees with them, the school is right and we are not. Entry requirements, deadlines and course codes change from one cycle to the next.
Check these before you apply:
The regulator
The General Dental Council decides which degrees lead to registration as a dentist in the UK. Its list of approved providers is the only place to confirm where a programme stands.
GDC approved providers