Early research and academic opportunities in dentistry

Getting early exposure to research, teaching and audit can help you discover whether clinical academia is the right path for you. It also helps you build valuable skills like data analysis and academic writing.

While not compulsory to become a clinical acadademic, these opportunties can strengthen your future applications for funding or academic posts.

Opportunities during dental school

Many dental schools in the UK offer the opportunty for students to study an intercalated degree. For some courses intercalation is compulsory. This usually means adding an extra year to study for a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field. It is a popular way to gain research experience and develop key skills and you can choose to study a subject already covered in part by your dentistry course or a new area in which you want to study in greater depth.

If you can’t undertake an intercalated degree, there are other ways you can engage in academia while at undergraduate level:

• You can take part in research projects or electives during your course. These shorter opportunities let you test out research or teaching without committing to a full intercalated year.
• Finding a research supervisor early can help you access projects and mentorship. Look for faculty members whose work interests you, attend seminars or research days and ask tutors for advice.

Many schools offer bursaries or small grants to support student research projects. Professional dental societies also sometimes provide funding or travel awards.

INSPIRE undergraduate research

The INSPIRE scheme is now fully incorporated into the NIHR INSIGHT Programme. This unified UK-wide initiative aims to attract students and early-career professionals into health and care research. The programme will incorporate INSPIRE engagement activities from 2027 onwards.

INSPIRE allows medical and dental undergraduates to engage with research. It offers funding to medical and dental schools across the country to enable them to deliver locally designed activities aimed at informing and exciting students about the benefits and potential of a career in research.

Before becoming part of INSIGHT, the INSPIRE Programme and was coordinated by the Academy of Medical Sciences. Details of what was offered, case studies and evaluations of the programme can be found on their website.

Dental Foundation Training

Before you can practise independently in the NHS, you must complete either Dental Foundation Training (DFT) or Vocational Training (VT). These programmes combine hands-on clinical experience with study days designed to prepare you for a career in dentistry. DFT is mandatory in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. DVT is the equivalent programme in Scotland.

If you’re interested in a clinical academic career, there are tailored pathways to support research and teaching early in your training.

Research and teaching during foundation training

Even if you’re not in a formal academic scheme, your foundation or vocational year can still be an opportunity to get involved in academic activities. Many trainees engage in:

• clinical audits to assess and improve the quality of care delivered
• teaching and mentoring undergraduate dental students or less experienced colleagues
• quality improvement projects that aim to enhance patient outcomes or service delivery

These activities build essential skills like critical appraisal and project management. Your foundation or vocational year is about more than developing clinical competence.

It’s also an opportunity to:

• reflect on patient care and identify areas where research or innovation could make a difference
• build relationships with potential academic supervisors or mentors
• start developing a portfolio of academic work that will support future applications for academic training posts or fellowships

Postgraduate diplomas: MFDS and MJDF

As a dental graduate, you can also choose to take postgraduate diplomas that demonstrate your commitment to professional development and academic progress:

• Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) is widely recognised and demonstrates your knowledge and clinical competence beyond your undergraduate degree.
• The MFDS can be taken as early as one year post-qualification and is valuable for those aiming for specialty training or academic careers.
• The Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) qualification is no longer offered but remains valid for those who have completed it.

A flexible pathway to clinical academia

You don’t need to take part in these programmes to pursue a career in clinical academia. Many dentists enter academia through a variety of routes. However, these schemes offer great opportunities to gain hands-on research experience and develop your academic skills alongside clinical training.

No matter which path you choose, engaging with research, teaching or quality improvement early on will help you build skills and support future applications to further opportunities, such as the pre-doctoral Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) or Clinical Fellowships that lead into funded PhD research later in your training.