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5 STEPS : WORK IN UK (ENGLAND) AS DENTIST AND ORE EXAM DETAILS

The Simplified Step by Step Details on Uk ORE Dental Exams.

5 STEPS: SETTLE IN UK AS DENTIST AFTER DENTAL DEGREE OUTSIDE UK

Welcome to all the Docs, we are back with a new article. In this article, we will be discussing the steps to settle in the UK as a dentist after completing dental graduation outside the UK.

This article is written by Dr.Abhishek Khanna. He is currently based in the UK after completing BDS in India. He is currently Pursuing Masters in Public Health Dentistry in the UK & Preparing to appear for UK qualifying exams to practice as Dentist. In this article, he is explaining all the steps he knows on how to migrate to the UK after BDS and settle as a dentist.

A lot of thanks to Dr.Abhishek for sharing his experiences and helping dentists from all over the world.

Work As Dentist in UK ORE Exams


POINTS TO NOTE

  • Also throughout this article, where ever required, official links have been provided for your reference. 
  • The aim of this article is to break the entire process into simple steps to help you better understand the process. So, the article has been divided into separate slides. You are advised to go through all the slides.
  • DO NOT forget to check the last slide where all the official links have been provided in a sequential manner with the help of the flow chart.

Though dentistry as a profession is highly competitive in the UK but settling in the UK as a dentist still has a good scope. Dentistry is one of the highly paid professions in the UK.


Since you are reading this article I will assume that you are a dentist (with an overseas – outside UK degree) and want to register and work in the UK as a Dentist.

It is a long process and you need to read all the steps with patience.

Step 1- Know The Nature of Your Dental Degree

First, you need to know if your dental degree is RECOGNIZED or UNRECOGNIZED



Recognized overseas qualifications

The General Dental Council recognizes overseas qualifications obtained from certain universities before certain dates. To see if your qualification is recognized for registration, please check the list below. If your qualification is not listed you will need to pass the overseas registration exam before you can register.

Australia

University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

University of  Melbourne
Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

University of  Queensland
Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

University of  Sydney
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

University of  Western Australia 
Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong 
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

Malaysia

University of Malaya
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2000

New Zealand

University of Otago 
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

Singapore

University of Singapore
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

South Africa

Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA)
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BChD)
Qualification must have been granted between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2000

University of Pretoria
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BChD)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

University of Stellenbosch
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BChD)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

University of Western Cape
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BChD)
Qualification must have been granted before 31 December 1997

University of Witwatersrand
Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
Bachelor of Dental Science (BDS)
Qualification must have been granted before 1 January 2001

Official Link for recognized colleges list.

If your dental degree is from the list above then your dental degree falls under RECOGNIZED category. In that case, you need to follow the steps that are required for a dentist with recognized degree. Follow the steps mentioned at this official link.


But what if your degree is not recognized, then what are the next steps?

See Step-1 continued in the next slide

… Go Next …

(DO NOT forget to check the last slide where all the official links have been provided in a sequential manner with the help of the flow chart.)

STEP 1 Continued

In the last slide, we saw that you need to know if your dental degree falls under the Recognized or Unrecognized category.

We also gave the list of the overseas universities (outside the UK) whose dental degree are recognized. You can check the list in the previous slide.

If you Dental Degree does not fall in the list of the recognized degrees then you automatically fall in the Unrecognized category. 


If your degree falls into the Unrecognized category then you need to know if your degree is Exempt or Not?

Here is the official link to assess if your degree is Exempt or not.


 If your degree is not under exempt type also, then you will need to apply for the ORE Exams and qualify the exams successfully 


In the next slide, we will have an overlook on the various steps of ORE Exams 

See The Next Slide 

 Step 2 – What is the ORE Exam?

The only way to practice dentistry for a dentist with a foreign dental degree (Outside UK) is to pass ORE, a licensing exam conducted by General Dental Council.

This exam is held twice a year (i.e. in April and September approximately) in the UK. The exam is based on UK dental curriculum and has 2 parts (Part 1- Theory n Part 2- Practical/Clinical).


Important points on ORE:

  • The ORE is an exam that overseas qualified dentists have to pass in order to register with the GDC. Registration allows dentists to practice dentistry unsupervised in the UK.
  • The ORE tests the clinical skills and knowledge of dentists from outside the European Economic Area whose qualifications are not eligible for full registration with the GDC here in the UK.  Candidates are expected to meet or exceed the standard of a ‘just passed’ UK BDS graduate.
  • The exam is based on the UK dental curriculum and uses modern assessment methods to ensure a robust and consistent exam. The exam has two parts:
  • Part 1 is a written exam.
  • Part 2 is a clinical exam.
  • Candidates are allowed up to four attempts at each Part of the ORE. The ORE candidates will have to pass Part 2 within 5 years of first sitting Part 1.

 As I said, the exam is conducted in the UK, so there are 2 possible ways of appearing in this exam

  1. First is by getting a tourist visa and give ORE part-1 and for Part-2, there is another visa which UKBA issue for students appearing in ORE or PLAB (for medical students).
  2. You can also migrate to the UK by joining a full-time masters program, either clinical or non-clinical.
  3. Most of the students follow the second step as you can get master’s degree along with preparation and also in the UK there are few groups started for the overseas dentist to prepare for ORE.

Official GDC statement on Visa & Immigration

The functions of the GDC are separate from those in charge of administering visas. Therefore, the GDC is unable to advise on visas. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that they are permitted to be in the UK to take the exam that they are booked on to. For information on visas and entry to the UK, please contact the UK Border and Immigration Agency.

If you make payment for an exam and then are unable to obtain a visa, you will not be refunded your fees. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can obtain a visa before you make payment for an exam.

  • Dentists can join any full-time masters course by applying online to universities or by meeting their country representatives personally, as most of the universities send their counselors to take interviews and give admission offer.
  • You can get information about the interview from British council, New Delhi or from consultants dealing with abroad studies.
  • The best source is British council as most of the consultants are not trustworthy.
  • Also be very careful of the 3rd party claiming to provide you a quicker method to clear the formalities. You are warned, such claims are utterly false and don’t pay such claims any money.

SEE NEXT SLIDE

Steps to know before you apply for the ORE Exams

(DO NOT forget to check the last slide where all the official links have been provided in a sequential manner with the help of the flow chart.)

Step 3 – Requirements before you apply for the ORE Exams

To apply for the ORE you will need to fill in the application form, and send in supporting documents at the same time.

  • Applicants are required to ensure they have read and understood the student fitness to practice guidance and exam rules as part of the application form.
  • Student Fitness to Practice Guidance Official Guidelines.
  • You are not expected to be familiar with the National Health Service (NHS) or British culture other than the ways in which it will affect your treatment of patients. You should be familiar with how people in the UK might behave, but you should not make assumptions about a patient based on issues such as gender or ethnic origin.

When you apply for the ORE, you should be certain that you have the overall clinical acumen to successfully complete a series of tests.


Clinical Experience Needed Before Applying

You must have at least 1600 hours of clinical experience where you have personally treated patients in the dental chair. The number of hours of this clinical experience will either be hours spent undertaking appropriate investigations and administering dental treatment:

  • during your dental degree;
  • during post-qualification experience; or
  • a combination of the two.

English Language Requirement

For the purpose of the ORE, candidates are required to submit evidence of English language. The types of evidence we are likely to accept are:

  • An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) certificate at the appropriate level;
  • A recent primary dental qualification that has been taught and examined in English;
  • A recent pass in a language test for registration with a regulatory authority in a country where the first and native language is English; or
  • A Recent experience of practicing in a country where the first and native language is English.

Check the official guidelines for English Language Requirement.

N.B: As per my experience – Minimum overall 7 bands in IELTS and not less than 6.5 in each section is required to apply for the exam.

Documents that you need to submit

Applicants need to provide the following:

  • An application form completed in all parts. The clinical reference must be written or typed onto the application form and signed in person, by the referee, and should not be sent as a separate letter
  • An original Certificate of Good Standing (see below) that must be no older than 3 months on the day the application is received by the GDC. If there is a one year gap between ORE sittings, you will need to submit a new Certificate of Good Standing *
  • Evidence of knowledge of the English language. Please refer to the Evidence of English language competence: Guidance for applicants document
  • A certified copy of a primary dental degree recognized for the purpose of the exam **
  • A certified copy of a current, valid passport **
  • One recent passport-size photographs
  • NARIC statement

* A Certificate of Good Standing is a certificate or letter issued by the registration authority for dentists. We require this certificate from the country of graduation as well as any other country where a dentist has practiced.

** The documents can be certified by solicitors or notaries.


Once you have sorted out all the points mentioned above then you are ready to fill the official ORE application form

Check out this official link for the ORE Application form.


Once applied then you will need to wait for GDC to send you the confirmation of the documents and applications received. If your application is rejected, you will be given the reasons why and advised on what you need to do to have your application accepted.


Suppose your application is accepted, then the next step is ORE Exam 1 

See The Next Slide to continue the article 

(DO NOT forget to check the last slide where all the official links have been provided in a sequential manner with the help of the flow chart.)

Step 4 – Qualify ORE Part 1

We are looking at the various steps to Qualify the registration process to work as a dentist in the UK.

In the last slide, we saw the requirements till you send the application form for ORE Exam.

Once you send all the necessary documents along with completely filled application form, then you need to wait for the GDC to contact you.


Official Sequence of Events once you apply for the exam

Once GDC receives your application form, they will:

  • send you an acknowledgment by email within five working days;
  • check all your documents;
  • contact you if there is a problem with your application;
  • contact your referees. For further information, please read ORE Application Reference Check (95.5 KB, PDF)
  • email you eGDC account log-in instructions once your application has been successful.

Now, your application has been approved and your eGDC login credentials have been emailed to you.


The next step for you is to completely fill up your account and profile at GDC.


Then you will have to wait for the exam dates (ORE 1) to be made available. You will get the information via e-mail and also on the official website.

Once the exams dates (ORE 1) are made public, then you can book for the exams using your account at eGDC.

In the mail, you will be informed that a Part 1 ORE exam is available for booking and you will be eligible to book a place, however, you are not guaranteed a place as there may be more candidates wishing to book than there are places available. Please note that All places on exams will be booked on a first come first served basis.

In case the candidate misses applying for the ORE exam for a period more than 12 months, then he/she again needs to submit to the GDC Exams Team a new valid Certificate of Good Standing

 Payments for the exams:

Payment of the full exam fee is required at the time of the booking. Credit or debit card payments must be made online via the eGDC website.


Official GDC statement on Visa & Immigration

The functions of the GDC are separate from those in charge of administering visas. Therefore, the GDC is unable to advise on visas. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that they are permitted to be in the UK to take the exam that they are booked on to. For information on visas and entry to the UK, please contact the UK Border and Immigration Agency.

If you make payment for an exam and then are unable to obtain a visa, you will not be refunded your fees. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can obtain a visa before you make payment for an exam.


See Next Slide For The Details on ORE Exams PART 1

Go to Next Slide

(DO NOT forget to check the last slide where all the official links have been provided in a sequential manner with the help of the flow chart.)

Step 4 – ORE Part 1 Continued

The exam is conducted in the UK, so there are 2 possible ways of appearing in this exam

  1. First is by getting a tourist visa and give ORE part-1 and for Part-2, there is another visa which UKBA issue for students appearing in ORE or PLAB (for medical students).
  2. You can also migrate to the UK by joining a full-time masters program, either clinical or non-clinical.

Most of the students follow the second step as you can get master’s degree along with preparation and also in the UK there are few groups started for the overseas dentist to prepare for ORE.

  • Undergraduate dental students can join any full-time masters course by applying online to universities or by meeting their country representatives personally, as most of the universities send their counselors to take interviews and give admission offer.
  • You can get information about the interview from British council, New Delhi or from consultants dealing with abroad studies.
  • The best source is British council as most of the consultants are not trustworthy.
  • Also be very careful of the 3rd party claiming to provide you a quicker method to clear the formalities. You are warned, such claims are utterly false and don’t pay such claims any money.

ORE exam: All The Details

ORE Part-1

Part 1 is designed to test candidates’ application of knowledge to clinical practice.

Cost Venue Capacity
£806 King’s College, London 200 per exam

  It consists of two computer-based exam papers:

  • Paper A covers clinically applied dental science and clinically applied human disease

  • Paper B covers aspects of clinical dentistry, including law and ethics and health and safety

Each paper lasts 3 hours and is made up of Multiple Short Answer questions (Extended Matching Questions and Single Best Answer Questions).

You must pass both papers in order to progress to ORE Part 2

Remember, you will be allowed only 4 attempts to successfully Pass ORE Part 1


Dates for ORE Part 1 for 2017

Month/Year Date
April 2017 4th – 7th
August 2017 1st – 4th

These are just provisional dates and are subjected to change. GDC has the authority to change the dates and the candidates will be informed prior to that.

Results of ORE Part 1

  • Your exam results will be sent to you by email. (tentatively within 20 days)
  • You will be given a percentage mark out of 100 for Paper 1 and for Paper 2, as well as an overall pass or fail award.
  • As the examination is taken at a computer, the results are calculated as soon as you click ‘submit’. This ensures there is no room for error in this marking system and so we do not offer the opportunity of questioning the marks awarded.
  • The GDC is not able to provide you with any feedback on your performance in this examination. However, approximately 40 working days after the examination, the Part 1 Supplier, King’s College London, will provide you with result feedback.
  • Upon passing ORE Part 1, your name will be added to the ORE Part 2 candidate list.

Official Page of GDC on ORE 1 is here.


See Next Slide:

See Details of ORE Exam Part 2

(DO NOT forget to check the last slide where all the official links have been provided in a sequential manner with the help of the flow chart.)

Step 5 – ORE Exam Part-2

Part 2 is designed for candidates to demonstrate practical clinical skills.

Cost Venues Capacity

£2929

The Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln’s Inn Fields

OSCE

122 – 144 per exam

Eastman Dental Institute, Gray’s Inn Road

Dental Manikin

Eastman Dental Hospital, Gray’s Inn Road

Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning

Medical Emergencies
  1. The cost for ORE part 2 is £2929 and is held in every 2-3 months.
  2. Prior booking is required to give exam and sometimes due to numerous students applying for this exam, you may miss chances of appearing.
  3. In that case, you can apply when next date is announced. You can apply within next 2 years of completing part 1 exam. You will be allowed four attempts for part 2.
  4. This exam is based on your practical knowledge and you need to perform some patient based procedures. It consists of 4 components.

  •  An operative test on a dental manikin (DM)

Candidates are required to perform three procedures. These procedures involve the preparation and restoration of teeth and some other procedures related to operative dentistry. Official Link for DM.

  •  An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)

In this component, candidates visit a series of ‘stations’ which test their clinical skills. These may include history-taking and assessment, communication skills (such as an explanation of problems and treatment plans), judgment and decision making, ethics and attitudes, and clinical examination.

The series may cover aspects of the following:

Behavioral sciences, human disease, law, ethics and professionalism, clinical dentistry, restorative dentistry, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, preventive dentistry, dental public health, comprehensive oral care, oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral microbiology, dental radiology, and imaging. There will be a maximum of 20 stations.

  •  A diagnostic and treatment planning exercise (DTP)

This involves an actor who will provide an appropriate history, together with relevant additional information such as photographs, radiographs, study models or results of other special tests. The exercise may involve any of the above aspects of clinical dentistry.

  •  A practical examination in medical emergencies (ME)

This assessment consists of two parts: * A structured scenario-based oral test * Demonstration of single handed basic life support. This will include cardiopulmonary resuscitation using a resuscitation manikin.

There are few coaching centers in the UK, which provide specific guidance for appearing in part 2 exam. The cost for joining these courses is about £1000. These short term courses help a lot to successfully complete the exam.


There are few more policy rules regarding the various phases ORE 2 Exams. For the policies you can visit the official link for ORE Part 2 here.

You are allowed only 4 attempts to successfully qualify for Part 2


Part 2 examination dates: 

26 – 29 January 2017
03 – 07 May 2017
09 – 12 November 2017

Results: Your exam results will be sent to you by email. You can expect the results within 20 working days of the exam.


If you successfully clear the Part 2 of the ORE, then you become eligible to apply for registration with the General Dental Council.


See Next Slide for the Final Steps and the Flow chart of the required procedure.

What to Do After You Pass ORE Part 1 & ORE Part 2?

If you successfully clear the Part 2 of the ORE, then you become eligible to apply for registration with the General Dental Council.

You will be sent the details of your results in the email you used to register at eGDC.

In your results email, you will be directed to download the application pack in order to apply for full registration on the GDC dentists register.

Official Link to the Registration Form.


You will need to fill the registration form with all the required details and send it over to the GDC assessment team.

After completing ORE and with the approval of the GDC assessment team, you will be registered as General Dental Practitioner but can only work as a private dentist.

To work with National Health Services (NHS), you need to enroll for vocational training in some hospital. The duration of this training is 1 year and even dentist from universities of UK also have to do this training if they wish to work under NHS. This training is paid and you will get a good stipend.

We have tried to explain all the steps by breaking the article into simple & smaller slides.

But for your easy understanding, we are also providing you a flowchart to make the steps, even more, easier for you to understand.

 


The Official link to General Dental Council

Overseas registration exam

The ORE is an exam that overseas qualified dentists have to pass in order to register with the GDC. Registration allows dentists to practice dentistry unsupervised in the UK.

The official links in a sequential manner:

  • Check if your dental degree is RECOGNISED or UNRECOGNISED.
  • If your degree is RECOGNISED then follow the steps at this official link.
  • If your degree is UNRECOGNISED then check if you fall under the Exempt Category.
  • If you fall under Exempt Category then follow the steps mentioned at this official link.
  • Point to note: In the event, you can demonstrate exempt person status, this does not lead to automatic registration and does not “exempt” you from the ORE. It gives you the option of applying under the route of an individual assessment in addition to applying for the ORE.
  • Start Applying for ORE.
  • Points to Note before you start applying for ORE – See this official link.
  • Applying for ORE – See the steps at this official link.
  • How to Book for ORE Part 1? See the official link here.
  • ORE PART 1 Details – See this link.
  • Upon passing ORE Part 1, your name will be added to the ORE Part 2 candidate list.
  • Details on ORE Part 2 – See this link.
  • Upon passing Part 2, you will be able to apply for registration with the General Dental Council.
  • Steps for Registration as a Dentist with GDC after you have passed ORE 1 & 2 – See here.

Other Important & Helpful Official links to refer: 

  • Most Important FAQs on ORE Exams. See this official link.
  • VISA RELATED ISSUES: What sort of visa do I need to sit the exam? The official statement on Visa by GDC is as follows: “The functions of the GDC are separate from those in charge of administering visas. Therefore, the GDC is unable to advise on visas. Candidates are responsible for ensuring that they are permitted to be in the UK to take the exam that they are booked on to. For information on visas and entry to the UK, please contact the UK Border and Immigration Agency.If you make payment for an exam and then are unable to obtain a visa, you will not be refunded your fees. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can obtain a visa before you make payment for an exam. “
  • Hence to be a safer side in relation to the visa issues: Contact the official link mentioned above and also get in touch with the England embassy in your country.
  • If you need help/guidance in your efforts to work in the UK as a dentist then you can contact UKNARIC (as mentioned in the official GDC Site).

Most Important Point of Safety:

  • Always follow the official routes & links mentioned in the article.
  • In the case of any doubts always refer the official websites.
  • Never try to bypass the official route. Never trust any 3rd party claiming to make to process easy for you.
  • Never pay any money to any unverified 3rd party claiming to make to make the process easy for you. It is always a lie. As mentioned before always contact the official links and offices/embassy.

Disclaimer: The information provided are subjective to change and are just meant to provide you an initial entry level information.The rules and regulation keep changing time to time. 

Before deciding on anything always refer & verify with the official website/links mentioned in the article. That is the only place where you can get the latest & up to date information or various points to migrate to the UK and work as a dentist.

Remember – There is no shortcut method to go to the UK. You must satisfy all criteria laid down by UK Govt. Agencies. So, always take the verified and correct route. Avoid any 3rd party promising you to get the required approvals by unverified shortcuts. 

(This article was last updated on 14th April 2017)