Dental Foundation Training

Recruitment to Dental Foundation Training is managed through National Recruitment. Please refer to the COPDEND Website for the most recent information. Local Scheme information for the Thames Valley & Wessex Region can be found on the Schemes and Useful Information Page.

Educational Supervisor Recruitment can be found here.

The Curriculum
The one year Early Years Dental Foundation Training Curriculum covers four main areas:
Clinical: Prevention and health promotion, diagnosis and assessment, treatment planning and the safe and effective application of technical skills including medical and dental emergencies.
Communication: Effective communication across a range of media and modalities with patients, peers, colleagues and the public.
Professionalism: Legal, regulatory and ethical frameworks relevant to the profession, expected values and behaviours, person-centred practice and social accountability.
Management and Leadership: Working within the frameworks and organisations that support the provision of dental services and leading change and improvement.

The curriculum is primarily outcome-based. These are high-level outcomes, they are the measures of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) which are the basis of the new portfolio. The outcomes are considered globally in the EPAs. There are 31 expected outcomes.

The Education Programme – Overview
Your scheme has an educational program which will have a minimum of 30 study days over the year (Autumn, Spring, Summer) commencing with group induction on Wednesday 3rd September 2025. The educational programme is designed to provide you with a well-rounded experience of hands-on and lecture-based days. Some study days are held jointly with other schemes and your full participation is required. Most study days will begin with an hour of problem-based learning where your experiences may be openly (and confidentially) discussed with your peers and TPD).

Attendance at all study days is mandatory for successful completion of the DFT programme (100% attendance requirement). Annual leave is not permitted on an Education Programme Day.

Self-directed learning is encouraged as part of the dental foundation curriculum. Attendance for 2 days at a UK based external dental scientific conference is part of the mandatory 30-day educational programme.

ePortfolio
As part of your Dental Foundation Training, you will have an internet based electronic portfolio (e-Portfolio). Your e-Portfolio enables you to record many things throughout your year including your clinical experience, reflections of study days, experience and events particularly events that will support your learning and development.

Foundation Dentists and Foundation Therapists (FDs and FTs) will embark on a project to engage with the local community to improve oral health.

The NHS “Long Term Plan” (2019) has been developed as a plan for the future of the NHS; it recognises that better patient care will only be delivered by partnership working across the system, because workforce strategy relates to decisions about service configuration, models of care, quality, and cost.

Workforce Training & Education (WT&E) Thames Valley & Wessex Dental Directorate is responsible for educating and training the health workforce in England, helping to improve the quality of care by ensuring the workforce has the right numbers, skills, values, and behaviours to support patients. This includes developing a multi-professional primary dental care workforce able to meet the needs of current and future service requirements.

In line with recommendations from the Department of Health publication ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’, the emphasis of the project is on prevention of ill-health that evidence-based research has associated with poor oral health. The aim is to achieve better oral health and thereby better general health outcomes by developing the knowledge, skills, and confidence of FDs and FTs to support Public Health initiatives.

The programme involves a series of phases over the course of the Foundation Training year:

• Phase one:        Research and training on the community project including any relevant related topics.
• Phase two:        Fostering links and working relationships to support the project.
• Phase three:     Developing and putting the intervention into action.
• Phase four:       Review progress and sharing learning.
• Phase five:        Consolidation and learning more about the care pathway.
• Phase six:         Evaluation and reflection

Training, guidance, and links to useful resources will be provided and further support given by TPDs during education days as necessary to facilitate progress through the phases.

Each trainee will keep a learning log as the project progresses. FDs will write up reports on the e-Portfolio using the dedicated templates that will be provided, reflecting on the project and their learning, including any changes that they have made to their practice as a result of taking part.

Each FD will review and evaluate the project’s outcomes, discussing the changes implemented and/or challenges encountered by those taking part in the intervention.

We hope all trainees have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience, however, there are a range of people and resources to support you if you experience any problems or have any concerns. In the first instance trainees are encouraged to discuss any difficulties with their Educational Supervisor or Training Programme Director who can offer guidance and signpost to suitable support.

Process for escalation of concerns

Thames Valley & Wessex Deaneries have a Professional Support Service that provides help for dentists in training. Referrals for Foundation Dentists can only be made via the Training Programme Director or Associate Dental Dean. For information, please visit the following websites:
Thames Valley Professional Support and Wellbeing: Thames Valley
Wessex Professional Support and Wellbeing Service: Wessex

Medic Support
If you are a Thames Valley Deanery doctor, dentist, or pharmacist in training and need some psychological support

Medic Support has a new, online referral form which makes the process of accessing individual psychological therapy quicker and easier. 

Medic Support is a free, confidential therapy service for doctors, dentists, and pharmacists training in the Thames Valley (Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire). They can help with a range of mental health concerns such as burnout, work stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Treatment is provided by senior clinicians from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, each of whom has worked in the NHS for more than 20 years and has expertise in providing evidence-based interventions tailored to the needs of postgraduate healthcare professionals. Medic Support is bespoke and independent from postgraduate training programmes, occupational health, and other NHS providers (such as GPs and local mental health services) so healthcare professionals can seek help without concerns about their privacy or career.

For more information about Medic Support and links to the e-referral form, please visit  www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/medic-support/ or email medic.support@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk