Introduction

A new degree aimed exclusively at dental care professionals will be launched by the University of Kent in September. The BSc in Primary Dental Care, to be based at the University's Medway campus, will comprise 120 hours of 'contact' teaching a year, plus 1,080 hours of work-based and distance learning. It is envisaged that the course will be three years full-time or six years part-time. There will be weekend teaching sessions and an emphasis on workplace learning.

Topics in the modular course will include critical appraisal of dental publications, development of General Dental Council core skills, lifelong learning, communication within teams, research, radiography, diet and nutrition and specialist care. Participants will be also be required to undertake a dissertation. All candidates will have to be registered with the GDC and employed within a primary care setting.

The new programme, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will be directed by Debbie Reed, lecturer in primary care dentistry at the University and a dental nurse. Formerly principal tutor at the army school of dental nursing in Aldershot, Ms Reed also developed practice management programmes for the armed forces. She has been on the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses since 1996.

She said: 'The programme seeks to equip dental care workers for longer and more rewarding careers which will see more of them staying in the sector. Through a mix of greater professional and academic development, we hope to keep people interested and motivated in their jobs for the long-term.'

'The BSc is about whole team dentistry and is suitable for all the DCP groups,' Ms Reed added.

The fees for the first year, full-time, are £3,145. Some scholarships are available. Candidates must have access to a computer, email and broadband. Students who complete two years of the course will be eligible for a diploma in primary dental care. Some modules are compulsory.