New Dental Programme – RCSI and the 2025 intake
The Dental Council has been engaging with the new RCSI BDS programme since 2022 and it recognises that the RCSI has made good progress in building its programme to date. This good-faith, collaborative and ongoing engagement is intended to maximise the opportunity of the programme meeting the Dental Council’s undergraduate requirements. The Council is satisfied with the progress to date and the Council endorsed the proposed intake of students to the programme in 2025 on foot of this progress.
The intention of our engagement with the RCSI is to establish alignment between the Dental Council’s educational standards and the RCSI programme’s development. As with all new programmes, elements will continue to evolve over time, and our collaborative engagement is designed to ensure that these developments are introduced in a timely manner and remain consistent with the Dental Council’s regulatory standards. Prospective students should note, however, that the risk of delayed accreditation cannot be entirely mitigated.
As an independent regulator, it would not be appropriate to comment on the future likelihood of a programme meeting accreditation standards as this would undermine the objectivity of the regulatory process.
The approach the Dental Council is taking with the RCSI BDS programme reflects the fact that the programme is new, and it is the same approach Council takes with all new registerable programmes. It does not reflect any concerns with the progress being made by RCSI to date but instead is an approach designed to build confidence towards accreditation.
Students and the parents of students should note the following regarding registering as a dentist in Ireland or abroad:
Registration in Ireland and Recognition in Europe
The Dental Council notes the progress to date and RCSI’s collaborative approach to accreditation. Based on the progress to date, the RCSI has informed the Dental Council that it expects that students entering the programme in September 2025 will be eligible to graduate and register with the Dental Council in 2030. This is subject to all elements of RCSI’s programme evolving in a timely manner and Dental Council’s undergraduate requirements being fully met.
While this assurance is welcome, with regard to the 2025 intake registering as a dentist in June 2030, the Dental Council will only be able to determine this with a degree of certainty when it completes its assessments in 2029 and 2030. The Dental Council will complete a number of scheduled reviews as well as its regular and ongoing monitoring as the programme develops to ensure progress is on track.
Subject to RCSI meeting the required educational standards, including accreditation by the Dental Council and compliance with the conditions set out in the Directive, the qualification will be recognised under the EU’s Professional Qualifications Directive.
Dental Council’s Reciprocal Agreements / Broader International Recognition
The RCSI programme is not currently part of our reciprocity agreement with the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada or the Dental Council of New Zealand. Any students joining the programme in 2025 will not be able to automatically avail of the benefits of our agreement with our partners on graduation.
Any future consideration of this matter can only happen after the Dental Council has fully accredited the programme. It is also important to note that our international partners need to consent to the inclusion of any new programmes in the reciprocity agreements. The Dental Council cannot comment on when this might happen.
Recognition of the programme outside of the EU and beyond existing reciprocity agreements is a matter for the Dental Council of each individual country.
Issued 2 July 2025
