Eligibility

Before beginning your application, it is important for you to determine whether you are eligible to apply for Dental Foundation Training (DFT).

Key information about application

The DFT programme is designed to meet the requirements of the NHS Performers List and to allow those with little or no clinical experience post qualification to enhance their clinical and administrative competence and to promote high standards.

It is important to note that your application is likely to be rejected prior to assessment at the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) should you fail to demonstrate a criterion assessed at longlisting. 

Additional information about the Person Specification

Please read the person specification for 2027/2028 the below is additional information about applying.

Summary of changes for 2027-2028 recruitment 

Please review the person specification as this has been updated for this year. We would like to highlight the section reapplication to specialty - An update to the person specification you must not have been previously relinquished or been released/removed from a dental foundation training programme, however if you have support to reapply you must complete the form and submit it with your application. 

Once applications have closed we will contact all UK dental schools to verify eligibility of international students to apply for Dental Foundation Training (international cap candidates). 

Special circumstances process is managed by MDRS, and all information regarding applications, contacts and deadlines can be found here.

BDS must be achieved by 2nd June 2027, if you are a non UK dental school candidate you will be asked to upload evidence of this at the point of application.

British Army schemes available to preference - Please ensure you understand the process fully before you preference these schemes.

Academic Dental Foundation Training - There will be no separate recruitment for England Academic Dental Foundation Training - Please review all scheme templates (see timeline for dates these are available) for further information regarding opportunities for academic dental foundation training.

Update for candidates applying for VTS -  Dental Foundation Training (DFT) in England, Wales & Northern Ireland and the Scottish Dental Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) recruitment processes are aligned to ensure fairness and consistency for all applicants.

You may apply to both DFT and VTS. However:

• You may only accept one training post
• Accepting a post in one process will result in automatic withdrawal from the other process

This means if you accept a VTS offer, your DFT application will be withdrawn.

This approach reduces late withdrawals and helps ensure training opportunities are offered as fairly as possible to all applicants.

You are strongly advised to:

• Review all offers carefully before making a decision
• Be confident in your choice before accepting an offer

Must have full registration with the GDC by the time of commencement of post

• Temporary registration with the GDC is not accepted for Dental Foundation Training. All applicants in receipt of an offer must have full GDC registration by commencement of post – 1 September 2027
• Please ensure you read the guidance on obtaining GDC registration if you are applying for dental foundation training as a temporary GDC registrant. Find information about registration to the GDC here

Eligible to join an NHS Dental Performer List (or equivalent) by time of commencement of post

• Membership of NHS Dental Performers List in England and Wales (or equivalent in Northern Ireland) is a legal requirement and the only mechanism for a dentist to be able to work in NHS primary dental care services.
• All dentists who are able to obtain full registration with the GDC at the time of commencement of a DFT post (for example, dental undergraduates in their final year) will be required to join an NHS Dental Performer List (or the equivalent in Northern Ireland) at the start of their training or, exceptionally, within the first three months.
• It is strongly recommended that, in order to join the NHS Dental Performers Lists in England and Wales (or the equivalent in Northern Ireland), dentists and dental students who expect to graduate or have recently graduated from a dental school anywhere in the UK, undertake DFT . This is subject to them not having completed more than 12-months of experience working as a dentist by the intended start date of the DFT programme.

EEA, non-UK dental graduates and UK dental graduates with more than 12-months of experience working as a dentist can join the Performers list by other routes – please refer to the below links for further details: 

• Performers list
• COPDEND