Course summary

If you’re a dentist who has a special interest in clinical oral microbiology or want to become a clinical academic, this course is for you. The Professional Doctorate in Clinical Oral Microbiology provides you with an integrated three-year training programme, so you can gain high-level research expertise alongside your clinical training. • Combines academic study, research, clinical and laboratory practice to give you a completely rounded training • Be taught by our distinguished international experts and have regular contact with them throughout the programme • Gain sought-after skills by studying the first Clinical Oral Microbiology DClinDent in the UK • Study at one of the UK’s top-rated dental schools: we’re joint first for research impact (REF 2014) What you'll study Clinical Oral Microbiology is concerned with the diagnosis and management of oral infections. The interface of oral and systemic infection, effect of immune system efficacy on the susceptibility to infection, and antimicrobial stewardship are all parts of the clinical oral microbiology specialty. This DClinDent programme is unique in the UK and will expand your knowledge and skills in clinical oral microbiology and provide an excellent preparation for your career as a clinical academic in this field. The programme of study will be in line with the General Dental Council curriculum for Clinical Oral Microbiology. The programme addresses some of the leading global problems facing dentistry, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other future emerging infectious disease threats and antimicrobial resistance. In addition, increasing average life expectancy means that dentists will need to treat more patients with complicated medical histories including head and neck, and systemic infections. You’ll take a programme of seminars, lectures and tutorials, starting with an introductory course on the fundamentals of clinical oral microbiology and its related disciplines before going on to review the clinical and scientific scope of the subject and determine its evidence base. You’ll then enter supervised clinical and laboratory practice with teaching on the diagnosis and management of selected oral and systemic infection cases. Antimicrobial stewardship, and infection prevention and control training will form a significant part of this component. You’ll also complete a research project, where you’ll demonstrate the application of scientific method to a problem in clinical oral microbiology. This project will then form the basis of your dissertation. Over the duration of the programme, you’ll gain advanced research skills to professional doctorate level and develop sophisticated critical appraisal skills in relation to published literature. In addition to your studies, you’ll also have a chance to interact with external specialists, through an extensive seminar series held within the Institute of Dentistry, the Blizard Institute and Queen Mary as a whole. The DClinDent Degree meets level 8 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). Structure • Three compulsory research modules, including your final dissertation (up to 50,000 words) • Three compulsory knowledge and clinical skills modules