Overseas Registration Examination

Outline of the ORE

The Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) is designed to test the knowledge, skills and professionalism of candidates against the standard expected of graduate dentists on first registration with the General Dental Council (GDC). This means that UK graduates and overseas dentists are expected to have the same basic level of knowledge and skills.

The ORE has two parts which must be taken – and passed – in order. The purpose of Part 1 is to test the candidates’ application of knowledge to clinical practice and Part 2 is designed for candidates to demonstrate practical clinical skills.

The examination is designed to test candidates against the learning outcomes from The First Five Years - A Framework for Undergraduate Dental Education. These learning outcomes, mapped against the components of the examination, can be seen in the ORE blueprint. Please note that the blueprint is not a revision guide. For information on the content and format of the exam please refer to Preparation for the ORE (end of page).

Fees for the ORE
The fees for the ORE will be as follows:

Part 1 - £600
Part 2 - £2250

There will also be a one-off fee for Medical Emergencies if it is taken on its own. This will be £300. There will be a fee of £150 for current IQE candidates who are required to sit the Part 1(b) examination.

PLEASE NOTE: These fees have been approved by an outside government body called the Privy Council. The regulations came into force on 16 July 2007 and can be found under 'Rules' elswhere on this website.

Evidence of previous clinical experience requirement for the ORE
On 6 June 2007 the Council approved a policy on prior clinical experience for all new applicants for the ORE, after a 12-week consultation period.

Purpose of the prior clinical experience requirement
The key purpose of this is to ensure patient protection as the new examination will not include a test on a patient.

Definition of prior clinical experience
The overseas dentist must have 1600 hours clinical experience where they have personally treated patients in the dental chair. The number of hours of this clinical experience will either be hours spent by the overseas dentist undertaking appropriate investigations and administering dental treatment during their dental degree, during post-qualification experience, or a combination of the two. It could also be undertaken during temporary registration.
It will not include time observing other dentists or assisting other dentists/dental students in undertaking diagnosis/treatment planning or provision of treatment.

Verification of the prior clinical experience
The clinical experience will be verified. The GDC will request signed references from university Dental Deans for the undergraduate experience and from employers for the post-qualification experience. The employers must provide their registration number. The GDC will reserve the right to undertake spot checks to verify references where appropriate. Affidavits will be accepted in only exceptional circumstances where an overseas dentist has proven refugee or asylum-seeker status.

Pre-examination language test

Dentists applying to sit the exam must demonstrate they have a good standard of English.  Candidates are required to submit a single, Academic IELTS Test Report Form before their application will be accepted.

The form must:

• be no more than two years' old on receipt at the GDC
• show a minimum overall band score of 7.0
• show no score lower than 6.5 in any section

In sections where scores are given in whole numbers only, a minimum score of 7 is required. Dentists who are nationals of the EEA or entitled to be treated no less favourably than nationals of the EEA are exempt from the English language requirement. This is in accordance with European Law.
Details about the IELTS may be obtained from:

The British Council (IELTS Enquiries), Bridgewater House, 58 Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 6BB, UK.
Telephone: 0161 957 7755;
Web: http://www.ielts.org
E mail: general.enquiries@britishcouncil.org

Location of the ORE sittings
All sittings of the ORE will be in Central London. We will provide details of the exam centres in due course.

Preparation for the ORE
The ORE is based upon the First Five Years - framework for undergraduate dental education. Further information on the content and format of the examination(s) is available. There is also a reading list available for the ORE. Please click here to see this list.

Transitional period for current candidates

A transitional period exists for candidates on the current IQE.  Information on this can be found in the International Qualifying Examination section of the website.