Peninsula Dental School

BDS Dental Surgery with Integrated Foundation Year

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery with integrated Foundation Year course is designed for applicants who wish to study dentistry but who are not currently appropriately qualified for entry to year one of the BDS undergraduate programme. The course equips you with the scientific knowledge and study skills needed to become a confident, critically self-aware, independent learner ready for the challenges of Higher Education and University life.

This exciting dentistry programme is pioneering, patient-centred and delivered in a supportive and research-rich environment. You will develop the highest level of core dental skills and knowledge needed for a hugely rewarding career as a healthcare professional. We offer you state-of-the art facilities and are committed to making you a dental practitioner with clinical skills of the highest order and a strong sense of social awareness. Please note this course is subject to approval.

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First choice for health

Delivered by professional experts, our programmes are tailored to you and your career. Together, we address today's most challenging healthcare issues, through research-informed teaching and active, real-world learning.

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Apply for 2023 entry

Join this exciting course from September 2023.

Key features

  • This dentistry programme is mapped against the General Dental Council’s guidance ‘Preparing for Practice’
  • Treat patients through partnership with local NHS providers.
  • Engage directly with participants and service users in a unique and meaningful way.
  • Benefit from the state of the art facilities provided by established Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE), a Community Interest Company (CIC).
  • Become familiar with a variety of clinical situations.
  • Prepare for a future career path through solving clinical problems.
  • Become competent at diagnosing disease and planning preventive care.
  • Choose your own areas of interest to study further.
  • Early clinical contact with a strong patient focus.
  • Gain the core dental knowledge and communication skills you need to practise as a competent and caring dentist.
  • Strong partnerships within the University.
  • Students will work across the Dental Education Facilities in Plymouth, Truro and Exeter.

Course details

  • Year 0

  • The Bachelor of Dental Surgery with integrated Foundation Year 0 (BDSF) programme is designed for applicants who wish to study Dentistry but who are not currently appropriately qualified for entry to year one of the BDS undergraduate programme. The BDSF programme equips you with the scientific knowledge and study skills needed to become a confident, critically self-aware, independent learner ready for the challenges of Higher Education and University life.

    You will be taught at the city centre campus where you will have the opportunity to meet your peers and academics, and where, from your very first day, you are part of the Faculty of Health. You will study alongside Dental Therapy & Hygiene, Diagnostic Radiography, Biomedical Sciences, and Medical students, preparing you for a collaborative, inter-disciplinary approach to learning and practice. Modules aim to develop an understanding of the science relating to a range of topic areas relevant to the study of Dentistry, and you can take advantage of academic support and guidance provided by a personal tutor. Meeting the requirements at the end of the Foundation Pathway enables you to progress onto stage one of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme, where you will learn and practice clinical and academic skills as part of the dental team.

    Years 1–5 will follow BDS Dental Surgery.

Entry requirements

  • 5 GCSEs or equivalent grade 4 / C or above to include English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects – either GCSE Double Award Science or two from single award Chemistry, Biology or Physics.
  • 3 A-levels at grades BBB to include Biology and a second science from Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology. General Studies is not included with any offer.
  • Pass an Access to HE Diploma in a predominantly science subject area, meeting the following criteria: 60 credits overall to include 45 level 3 credits, of which 15 level 3 credits must be in Biology or Human Biology. Must achieve Distinction in 33 level 3 credits, and Merit in the remaining 12 level 3 credits.
  • IB 28-32 points overall to include Higher Level 5 in Biology, Higher Level 5 in one further science from Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology.
  • BTEC Diploma/Extended Diploma also considered.
Applicants with grades suitable for entry to the 5 year BDS programme will not be considered for BDS Foundation Year, regardless of WP markers.

We are unable to consider any applicants who have already completed a first degree.

All applicants, in addition to meeting or exceeding the published academic criteria above will need to meet a minimum of three from the following contextual indicator options:

  • Living in a local South West region (Devon/Cornwall/Bristol/Dorset/Gloucestershire/Somerset/Wiltshire)
  • Living in a low participation area as determined by POLAR4 postcode analysis
  • Living in an area categorized as being in indices of mass deprivation (IMD) classes 1-4 or local equivalent
  • Attending a low performing school/college based on 16-18 performance
  • In receipt of UCAT bursary, EMA, or 16-19 bursary
  • Being in receipt or eligible for Free School Meals
  • Participant in the Peninsula Pathways programme
  • Estranged from parent
  • Refugee/Asylum seeker
  • Carer/Care leaver

Fees, costs and funding

The UK is no longer part of the European Union. EU applicants should refer to our Brexit information to understand the implications.

New Student 2021-2022 2022-2023
Home To be confirmed To be confirmed
International To be confirmed To be confirmed
Part time (Home) To be confirmed To be confirmed
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per a number of credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

Additional costs

This course is delivered by the Faculty of Health and more details of any additional costs associated with the faculty's courses are listed on the following page: Faculty of Health additional costs.

How to apply

All applications must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All applications for the BMBS and BDS courses must reach UCAS between 1 September and 15 October annually. Applicants should apply to no more than four of the same clinical degree courses. Applicants may wish to consider BSc (Hons) Dental Therapy and Hygiene, BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography, or one of our School of Biomedical Sciences courses as their fifth choice.

The UCAS code for the Faculty of Health is P60 PLYM.


For more information contact the Admissions Team:

Admissions Team
Faculty of Health
The John Bull Building
Plymouth Science Park
Plymouth
PL6 8BU

The interview

Before receiving an offer to study on one of our programmes you will be invited to attend an interview.

This attempts to find out whether you have the personal attributes required to become a dentist of tomorrow.

Find out more about the interview process
<p>Woman using a laptop with headphones, online blended learning, online interviews.</p>

Student insight – Yewande Oduwole

No matter what you are studying there is always a way that you can make an impact and a positive change in someone’s life.

Yewande made the most of her time as a dental student by taking on multiple entrepreneurial and humanitarian projects.

Find out more about Yewande's story
<p>Yewande Oduwole </p>

Budding Black Dentists

Budding Black Dentists is a platform founded by Elizabeth Fynn-Famodun, a final year Dental Student at the University of Plymouth, who not only noticed the alarming lack of black representation in the field of dentistry, but also the need to target this issue. This finding became more evident after herself and her colleagues, Vivienne Onamusi (BDS 4) and El-Eden Biney (BDS 5), attended a dental-student conference and found that they were amongst only a handful of black dental students present. This was not the case for those of Asian and Caucasian backgrounds. This lack of representation is clearly reflected in the dental professional as a whole - the three students found that only 3% of Dentists in the world identify as black. This ultimately meant that finding mentorship as a young black dental professional in the hands of someone that looked like us would be near impossible, which would create a domino effect as there would be few black professionals to look up to.

In aims to combat this, the three dental students launched a non-profit organisation to equip aspiring dental applicants with the necessary tools needed for each stage of their dental journey, to help to educate the black community on the importance of oral health and what dentistry entails, via outreach programmes, and to establish a strong support network of aspiring and qualified black dentists for the facilitation of mentoring schemes.

Budding Black Dentists now consists of a team of 16 dental students from ethnic minority backgrounds based in various UK dental schools, who all share this vision and deeply aspire for change to be made in the near future.

<p>Vivienne, Elizabeth and El-Eden, founders of the Budding Black Dentists platform<br></p>
<p>Opening of dental facilities.</p>
<p>Virtual 360</p>

Lecturers