Dentists Act 1984

Supervision of dental education U.K.

8 Information to be furnished by dental authorities. U.K.

Every dental authority shall from time to time when required by the Council furnish them with such information as the Council may require—

(a) as to the course of study and examinations to be gone through in order to obtain a degree or licence in dentistry, or any additional diploma in dentistry, and

(b) generally as to the conditions laid down for obtaining such a degree, licence or diploma.

9 Supervision of instruction given by dental schools and post-graduate institutions. U.K.

(1) The Council may appoint persons to visit, subject to any directions which the Privy Council may deem it expedient to give and to compliance with any conditions specified in those directions, places where instruction is given—

(a) to dental students under the direction of a dental authority, or

(b) to post-graduate students in dentistry under the direction of a dental authority or any other body.

(2) Visitors appointed under this section shall report to the Council as to the sufficiency of the instruction given in the places which they visit and as to any other matters relating to the instruction which may be specified by the Council either generally or in any particular case; but no visitor shall interfere with the giving of any instruction.

(3) On receiving a report of a visitor under this section, the Council shall send a copy of the report to the dental authority or other body under whose direction the instruction in question was given, and on receiving the copy that dental authority or body may, within such period (not being less than one month) as the Council may have specified at the time they sent the copy of the report, make to the Council observations on the report or objections to it.

(4) The Council shall, as soon as possible after the end of the period specified under subsection (3) above, send to the Privy Council a copy of the report and of any observations or objections duly made under that subsection, together with the Council’s comments on the report and on any such observations and objections.

(5) The Council shall have power to remunerate persons who are not members of the Council for acting as visitors under this section.

10 Supervision of examinations. U.K.

(1) Any member of the Council or other person, being a member or person appointed for the purpose by the Council, may be present at any such examinations as are mentioned in section 8(a) above.

(2) The Council shall have power to remunerate persons so appointed who are not members of the Council for being present at the examinations.

11 Remedy where qualifying courses of study or examinations are inadequate. U.K.

(1) Where it appears to the Council that the course of study or the examinations to qualify for a degree or licence in dentistry granted by a dental authority is or are not such as to secure the possession by the graduates or licentiates of the requisite knowledge and skill for the efficient practice of dentistry, the Council may make a representation to that effect to the Privy Council; and on any such representation the Privy Council may, if they think fit, order that any degree or licence in dentistry granted by the dental authority after a time specified in the order shall not confer any right to be registered under this Act.

(2) The powers conferred by subsection (1) above upon the Council to make representations and upon the Privy Council to make orders may be exercised in respect of a specifically described degree or licence in dentistry granted by a dental authority.

(3) If an order is made under this section in respect of any degree or licence in dentistry granted by a dental authority, no person shall be entitled to be registered under this Act in respect of any such degree or licence granted after the time mentioned in the order.

(4) The Privy Council may, if it appears to them on a further representation from the Council or otherwise that the dental authority in question has made effectual provision to the satisfaction of the Council for the improvement of the course of study or examinations, revoke an order made under this section, but the revocation shall not entitle a person to be registered in respect of a degree or licence in dentistry granted before the revocation.

(5) Any order of the Privy Council under this section may be made conditionally or unconditionally, and may contain such terms and directions as appear to the Privy Council to be just.

12 Candidates not to be required to adopt or reject particular theories of dentistry. U.K.

(1) If it appears to the Council that a dental authority have attempted to impose on any candidate offering himself for examination an obligation to adopt, or to refrain from adopting, the practice of any particular theory of dentistry as a test or condition of admitting him to examination or of granting a degree or licence in dentistry, the Council may make a representation to that effect to the Privy Council.

(2) On any such representation the Privy Council may direct the authority to desist from attempting to impose any such obligation, and if the authority do not comply with the direction the Privy Council may order that the authority shall cease to have power to grant degrees or licences in dentistry so long as they continue to attempt to impose any such obligation.

(3) Any order of the Privy Council under this section may be made conditionally or unconditionally, and may contain such terms and directions as appear to the Privy Council to be just.

[F1 12A. Degrees and licences in dentistry U.K.

(1) A dental authority may grant a UK diploma in dentistry to a person only if the authority is satisfied that the person has successfully completed basic dental training.

(2) In this section—

• “basic dental training” means dental training that meets, or under article 22(a) of the Directive (part-time training) [F2 would] be treated as meeting, the requirements of article 34 of the Directive (basic dental training);

• “UK diploma in dentistry” means—

  (a)

  a degree in dentistry that gives its holder the qualification of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (whether abbreviated as BDS or B.Ch.D.), or

  (b)

  a licence in dentistry that gives its holder the qualification of Licentiate in Dental Surgery.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 12A inserted (3.12.2007) by The European Qualifications (Health and Social Care Professions) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3101), regs. 1(2), 110

F2 Word in s. 12A(2) substituted (31.12.2020) by The European Qualifications (Health and Social Care Professions) (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/593), reg. 1(2), Sch. 3 para. 3 (with reg. 12A, Sch. 3 Pt. 2) (as amended by S.I. 2020/1394, regs. 4, 11(4)-(10)); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)