In response to the announcement that all years of dental students in Scotland will be required to repeat the academic year, Professor Phil Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said:
I appreciate this must be a very difficult time for dental students, who have missed out on a great deal of practical experience over the last year, due to ongoing lockdown restrictions.
I understand and support the decision taken by Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow dental schools to defer graduation which will not have been taken lightly. Patient safety is always at the forefront of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s actions and this decision supports our efforts in this respect.
Dentistry as a profession has been uniquely disadvantaged throughout the pandemic in comparison to other primary care services due to the lack of meaningful support made available for the sector, and this is one of the many resulting knock-on effects.
I sincerely hope dental students are able to obtain a high standard of practical training and experience as part of their studies over the course of the coming academic year, which will benefit the dental profession as a whole going forward.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh will actively seek to provide support for students through this period. We are now offering free affiliate membership to all dental students in Scotland, and we will continue to provide relevant educational content in order to further support their studies.