Students from Canada, the United States and other Non-European Union (EU) regions may apply to Dental Schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland via the Atlantic Bridge Program.

 

Every year, around 30 North American students commence the study of Dentistry via the Atlantic Bridge Program at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and University College Cork (UCC). The Atlantic Bridge Program streamlines the application process so students can apply to the two Dental programs using one common application and only one set of documents (transcripts, letters of reference, etc.). If you wish to apply to study Dentistry in Ireland via the Atlantic Bridge Program, please complete the Application Request Form to receive further information. 

 

Once applicable licensing procedures have been successfully met, holders of degrees from the accredited Irish Dental Schools are eligible to practice dentistry in the United States, Canada and all of the European Union nations. The schools have graduates currently practicing and/or teaching dentistry in North America.

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Important Note: Mutual Recognition

The Reciprocity Agreement between the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) and the Dental Council of Ireland was signed on December 5th, 2012.  Under this agreement, the CDAC and the Dental Council of Ireland agree that each party recognizes the accreditation standards and policies of the other party as being equivalent to its own.  There are twelve dental programs covered under this agreement, ten in Canada and two in Ireland (University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin).

 

Students who graduate from University College Cork (UCC) or Trinity College Dublin (TCD) after December 5th, 2012 will be accepted for licensing in Canada as graduates of an accredited dental educational program and do not need to meet other educational requirements typically required of graduates of non-Canadian Dental schools. 

 

Trinity College Dublin – Dentistry

The course is based in the Dublin Dental University Hospital, which is part of Trinity College Dublin.

The curriculum is based around Problem Based Learning (PBL) and small-group tutorials. These are implemented by considerable emphasis on clinical competence in primary oral health care based on appropriate, prioritized and scientifically acceptable treatment methods.

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The dental degree program at Trinity College Dublin is five years in length. The early years focus more on the required dental science, while ensuing years concentrate on developing appropriate clinical experience.

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Entry Requirements

Candidates who will have completed their Bachelor’s Degree by September 1st of the year of proposed entry are eligible to apply to the 5-Year Dentistry Program at Trinity College Dublin. Your degree program should include a significant science component including courses in Chemistry and Biology.

 

University College Cork – Dentistry

The Cork Dental School & Hospital is located in a ninety-chair facility on the campus of Cork University Hospital, the main hospital in the south of Ireland. Along with facilities on the nearby UCC campus, the Dental School is equipped to deliver each stage of the dental curriculum and specialized patient treatment. There is a five year dental program and a four year Graduate Entry program.

 

The dental program encompasses training in the full range of dental disciplines, such as: dental surgery, oral medicine, oral radiology, dental public health, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, periodontology, prosthodontics, gerodontology and endodontics. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree and the knowledge, skills and experience to enter independent practice as competent dental professionals.

 

Entry Requirements

In order to apply to University College Cork (UCC) you must have your Bachelor’s Degree completed no later than September 1st of the year of proposed entry. Your degree program should include a significant science component including courses in Chemistry and Biology.

 

Candidates who are applying to the Graduate Entry 4-Year Program in Dentistry must have:

• completed an Honors Bachelor’s Degree by September 1st of the year of proposed entry

• completed courses in General Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry by September 1st of the year of proposed entry

 

Students with Bachelor’s Degrees who have not completed these course requirements will be considered for the 5 Year Program only.

When applying to UCC, all eligible candidates will initially be considered for the 4 Year Graduate Entry Dentistry (GED) Program. However, GED places are limited and consequently not all candidates can receive a GED offer. Therefore, although you may be qualified for GED, you may receive an offer to the 5 Year dentistry degree program.

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Application Fee

Medicine and Dentistry: A non-refundable application fee of US $75 per school must accompany your application (e.g. If you are applying to two schools, the fee is US $150, etc.)

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Documents Required

In order to apply for admission to one or more of the schools offered under The Atlantic Bridge Program, you only need to provide one set of the following documents:

1. An Application form completed in detail.

2. Personal Statement.

3. One official copy of each of your academic transcripts from each institution attended. An official high school transcript is not required of applicants who will have been awarded a bachelor’s degree by September 1st of the year they expect to commence studies in Ireland.

4. Two confidential Letters of Recommendation.  One of your letters must be an academic reference and should be authored by a science professor/teacher. If your school provides a “committee letter,” the committee letter alone will be sufficient.

Note: An application will not be considered by the schools’ admissions committees until all of the required documents have been received.

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Tuition Fees

The following is a guideline for Annual Tuition Fees for the 2017/18 academic year.

Trinity College Dublin – €39,750 Euros*
University College Cork – 4 Year Graduate Entry – €43,750 Euros
University College Cork – 5 Year – €35,000 Euros
 

The above fees should be treated as a guideline only and are not official. Tuition fees are subject to annual review.

*Fall 2018 Entry.

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What is a competitive GPA?

Because GPA can be very subjective, the Irish Dentistry Schools do not typically use guidelines around GPA for admissions purposes. For instance, Student A may have a slightly lower GPA than Student B, but Student A may have a much higher degree of difficulty in his/her degree or high school program. Also, many schools (especially in Canada) do not even have a GPA system. So there are many variables involved, therefore, GPA is not always a useful system for assessing students for dentistry school and it can be misleading.

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Consequently the Admissions Committees tend to consider every application individually and on its own merits, taking into account (among other things) the degree of difficulty involved in the undergraduate degree or high school curriculum, the competitiveness of the school, the course load carried by the student and other factors.

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Are interviews required by the Irish Dental Schools?

Interviews are not required for those applying to University College Cork or Trinity College Dublin. 

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When do classes commence?

There is one entering class each year. Classes commence annually in September.

 

Budgeted living expenses

The universities recommend that, on average, students should budget approximately €18,000 (Euros) per year for living expenses (housing, food, books, toiletries, transportation, etc.). These expenses may be financed through financial aid.

 

Additional costs involved with the dentistry course

Students will be required to purchase books at an approximate cost of €300 per year. At the beginning of the clinical years students attending Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork are required to purchase a set of dental instruments. The estimated cost of the instruments is €4,000.