NHSE WT&E, Dental Directorate in Thames Valley and Wessex provides a range of programmes open to those who would like to pursue a dental specialist training. We are currently running dental specialist programmes in Orthodontics (pre and post CCST), Oral Surgery, Special Care, Restorative Dentistry and Paediatric Dentistry.
Our Trainees have an opportunity to work in the highly regarded training hospitals including John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford), Stoke Mandeville Hospital (Aylesbury), Royal Berkshire Hospital (Reading), Milton Keynes University Hospital, Queen Alexandra Hospital (Portsmouth), University Hospital Southampton.
Recruitment
Recruitment to Dental Specialty Training (DST) posts in the United Kingdom is through national selection process led by various National Recruitment Offices.
Orthodontics ST4 posts available for 01 October 2025 start:
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Milton Keynes University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Job Description available at 0.8WTE
Portsmouth University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Special Care Dentistry ST1 posts available for September 2025 start:
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
The Education Programme
Oral Surgery Study Day Programme
Special Care Dentistry Study Day Programme
Assessments
Each dentist in a training is subject to an annual assessment of their competence, as outlined in the following guidance documents:
The Dental Gold Guide 2023, A Reference Guide for Postgraduate Dental Core and Specialty Training in the UK
The assessment, known as an RCP or ARCP (Review of Competence Progression or Annual Review of Competence Progression), provides a formal process in which a panel reviews the evidence presented by a dentist in training and their educational supervisor relating to the dentist’s progress in the training programme. This may be via an e-Portfolio. Dental Specialty Trainees use the ISCP e-Portfolio.
ISCP e-Portfolio
ISCP e-Portfolio login page can be found on the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme website
Information about registration and navigation of the ISCP e-Portfolio for trainees, Educational Supervisors and Training Programme Directors can be found on the FAQ webpage
Guidance for Trainees:
How to navigate Assessments
Guidance for Educational Supervisors
Resources
COPDEND
COPDEND is the UK Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors and is the leading UK Advisory Group for NHS commissioned dental education and training which supports the multiprofessional workforce to deliver greater quality of oral healthcare. COPDEND website provides information on Dental Gold Guide 4th Edition, various application forms, Inter-Deanery Transfer process.
General Dental Council
GDC is the UK regulator for dental professions and is responsible for approving all curricula for education and training in specialist dentistry. The curricula are developed by Specialty Advisory Committees (SACs) who report to the relevant dental faculties of the Royal Colleges.
Specialty Curricula
The Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their career