Clinical Dentistry

Entry requirements

Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences) on the advice of the Faculty of Dentistry.

Student must have Bachelor of Dental Surgery or equivalent.

Candidates will be selected on the basis of their previous academic record (normally with a grade average of a B+ or greater), their graduate experience and academic achievements, their commitment to the specific discipline, evidence that they are committed to ongoing education, and reports from three referees.

If your first language is not English you must have an IELTS score of 7.5 with no band below 7. Due to COVID-19, we currently accept Duolingo English Test (DET), IELTS Indicator Test, and TOEFL iBT Special home Edition.

Don’t meet the English language requirements? The University of Otago Language Centre "English for Otago" programme offers a pathway for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students to meet the English language requirements for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Months of entry

February

Course content

The Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent) degree provides graduate training in orthodontics discipline in dentistry. The aim of the discipline programme is to prepare graduate students to become registered specialists in that discipline. The programs foster development of critical analysis, research skills, and advanced clinical skills that will be recognised for specialist registration.

The programme include clinical research and clinical practice and prepare students to be both practitioners and advisory consultants in their chosen areas of specialisation. Within each programme, course work includes papers on research methods and practice, advanced clinical science, and advanced clinical practice. A candidate's research will be presented in a thesis and demonstrate a significant contribution to knowledge in a particular field.

Because of the different training requirements for registration in each area of specialisation, the programme entry requirements and lengths vary.

Structure of the Programme

The degree may be awarded in any of the following subjects:

• Endodontics
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Oral Medicine
• Oral Pathology
• Oral Surgery
• Orthodontics
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Prosthodontics
• Special Needs Dentistry

The programme of study shall consist of two papers (CLDN 910 and CLDN 920) together with clinical practice, and a programme of supervised research, leading to the submission of a thesis (CLDN 9). The two papers, the clinical practice requirements, and the thesis must each be completed satisfactorily.

The candidate shall, before commencing the research investigation to be described in the thesis, secure the approval of the Faculty of Dentistry for the topic chosen, the supervisors and the proposed course of the investigation.

A candidate will be required to pass both papers in the first year of the programme with at least a B+ grade in each paper to be able to continue to the second and third years of thesis research, clinical research and clinical practice.

Information for international students

Otago offers students an unrivalled campus experience and a vibrant, social student culture. The majority of Otago’s 21,000 students live, work and play in Dunedin - New Zealand’s only true university city. Otago is home to over 3,000 students, from over 100 countries.

Fees and funding