The BDentSc and how the five years run
The School of Dental Science is inside the Dublin Dental University Hospital at Lincoln Place, on Trinity's main campus. Trinity describes the hospital as a National Centre of Excellence for many dental specialities, with a rich mix of patients.
Teaching is problem-based, with plenty of self-directed study. Dental science, hygiene and nursing students work together in clinic from the second term of year 1, and you treat your own patients, under supervision, from year 2.
The five years, from Trinity's degree page
- Year 1
Foundations
Personal and professional development, human biology, physical sciences and dental anatomy.
Clinic from term 2 - Year 2 · Patients
Basic dental care
Basic dental care, oral biology, pathology and dental public health.
Own patients - Year 3
Comprehensive care
Crowns, bridges and dentures, comprehensive patient care and clinical medical sciences.
Dental Hospital - Year 4
Specialities
Children's dentistry, advanced restorative work, oral medicine and oral surgery.
Dental Hospital - Year 5
Final year
Advanced restorative dentistry, oral surgery and medicine, and evidence-based dentistry.
BDentSc
Entry requirements and how to apply
A-level route
The minimum is B and C in two of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The CAO scores your best three at A* 192, A 165, B 142 and C 120, plus 25 for A-level Maths.
Leaving Certificate route
Entry was 625 points in both 2024 and 2025, with random selection among applicants on that score in 2025.
Doctors and vets
Qualified doctors and vets can apply for advanced entry directly into year 2, where places allow.
HEAR and DARE
HEAR, for socio-economic disadvantage, requires residence in the Republic. DARE, for applicants whose disability has affected their education, is worth asking Trinity about directly.
Clinical training and the hospital
In the community
Many students go out to the community for project work, to observe in clinics, and to deliver dental care in hospitals and clinics outside the Dental Hospital.
Working as a team
Dental science, hygiene and nursing students work together in clinic from the second term of year 1.
Garda vetting, and health screening (€330 on your fee statement) covering Hepatitis B vaccination, blood tests and MMR, chickenpox and TB records.
Student life in Dublin
Trinity Dental Society
The representative body for students in the dental faculty.
Trinity: Dental SocietyOn the main campus
The Dental Hospital at Lincoln Place is on Trinity's main campus in the city centre.
Trinity: Dental ScienceCommon Travel Area
UK students are charged the EU rate rather than the non-EU rate.
Trinity: college chargesFees, the kit and deadlines
Some hospitals charge booking fees on top. Health screening is €330.
Source: Trinity: college charges 2026/27; Trinity: Dental Science degree
CAO 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
- On the main campus. The Dental Hospital is at Lincoln Place, Dublin 2.
- Early patients. Your own patients from year 2.
- No admissions test. No UCAT, HPAT or interview.
- Points. 625 in 2024 and 2025; A-level applicants need the Maths bonus.
- A separate system. The CAO, with a 1 February deadline.
- The kit. €3,500 at the start of year 2.
- Registering in the UK. Through the GDC's route for EEA qualifications; check the GDC for the current arrangement.
Who to believe, and in what order
DentiSpark is not the authority on any of this, and does not want to be. Trinity College Dublin'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's approved-provider list covers UK providers only, so neither Irish school is on it. A graduate registers with the GDC through its route for EEA qualifications.
GDC approved providers