A Career as a Dental Nurse

A career as a Dental Nurse can offer strong career prospects. Dental nurses are dental care professionals and work as part of the dental team. A dental nurse supports the dentist in all aspects of patient care, this includes getting the appropriate instruments ready, mixing materials and ensuring patient comfort. They will also take notes from dentists dictation for records and once the patient has left, the dental nurse tidies the surgery and sterilises all of the instruments.

A Career as a Dental Nurse

Ingeneral practice, sometimes the dental nurse may help with reception work - making appointments, taking payments, dealing with paperwork and meeting and reassuring patients.Dental nurses can be employed in general practice, hospitals or the community dental services and can also train as a dental nurse in the armed forces.

Training as a Dental Nurse

There are no academic qualifications needed to work as a dental nurse, but in order to progress, you will need to study for further qualifications. Some of these qualifications require GCSEs at grade D-G (or equivalent) for entry, others may require GCSEs at grade A-C (or equivalent) as a minimum. Employers will expect a friendly, responsible attitude and positive approach to people and a willingness to study.

Trainee Dental Nurse

Once you start as a student/trainee dental nurse, you will be encouraged to study for a qualification, on day release or evening classes at a local college. This is important for your future career development. You can take a course leading to the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN) National Certificate, or the NVQ level 2 in oral healthcare support, or level 3 in oral healthcare dental nursing.

Some dental hospitals and further education colleges run these courses full-time or part-time. If like most dental nurses, you start your career in general dental practice, you will be able to study in the evenings or on day release.The national certificate is awarded to dental nurses who have passed the examination and completed two years of full-time surgery experience.

If you begin your career in a dental hospital or in the community dental service, you will start as a dental nurse, qualifying when you have obtained your national certificate.

Further information from:

British Association of Dental Nurses
Website: www.badn.org.uk

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