The words to use
- Dental foundation training (DFT)
- The first step in postgraduate training for newly qualified dentists: 12 months full time, combining hands-on clinical work with study days.
- Graduate-entry dentistry
- A shortened dental degree, usually four years, for science graduates and healthcare professionals with a degree. The DSC's 2027 guide lists Aberdeen, King's College London and Lancashire.
- Associate
- A dentist working in a practice owned or run by someone else. In England in 2025/26, 83% of dentists doing NHS work were associates.
- NHS minimum period
- A government plan, announced in July 2025, for new dentists to work in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be three years. Details unconfirmed as of October 2026.
