ORE: What is LDS Exam?
https://oreexam.com/lds-exam.html[2/4/2022 4:09:03 AM]
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What is LDS Exam?
The LDS (Licence in Dental Surgery) Exam is one of the oldest dental exams established in the UK by the
Royal
College of Surgeons
. The LDS establishes the fitness to practice of graduate dentists wishing to practice in the UK
and will make them eligible to apply for registration with the GDC.
There are two main routes for dentists wishing to practice in the UK:
ORE Exam
LDS Entrance Exam
Full name
Overseas Registration Exam
Licence in Dental Surgery
Accrediting
body
General Dentistry Council
Royal College of Surgeons
What does it
allow?
Allows you to practice as a dentist
in the UK
Allows you to practice as a dentist in the UK
How popular is
it?
Very popular, this is the main
route.
Less popular, can serve as an alternate route for those who
have failed the ORE.
How many
parts?
There are two parts.
There are two parts.
Either exam allows you to practice as a dentist in the UK. Like
the ORE Exam
, the LDS exam has both a
knowledge-based Part 1 (in the form of a written exam) and a practical Part 2 (in the form of an OSCE).
LDS Exam: Part 1
Part 1 consists of two written papers, each of three hours duration, taken on the same day, so six hours overall. The
examination format will be Single Best Answer (SBA) and Extended Matching Questions (EMQ) centred mainly on
knowledge and its application to:
Clinically applied dental science and clinically applied human disease.
Aspects of clinical dentistry, law and ethics, and health and safety.
Click the following link for a more in-depth LDS syllabus.
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ORE: What is LDS Exam?
https://oreexam.com/lds-exam.html[2/4/2022 4:09:03 AM]
LDS Exam: Part 2
Part 2 of the LDS Exam consists of 3 distinct parts:
Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) of 2 hours duration
An operative test on a dental manikin of up to three hours duration
The 'Unseen Case' [based on an objective structured long examination (OSLE) model] - an examination
designed to test the candidates' diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical reasoning. Approximately 1-hour
duration (32 minutes for each scenario).
Click here for a rudimentary
LDS Exam syllabus
.
Remember: Passing the LDS or ORE does not give you the automatic right to work in the UK. Other factors to be
considered are as follows:
Visa and UKBA restrictions
Clinical experience and qualifications
EEA employment laws and competition for posts
Which is easier the LDS exam or the ORE Exam?
Both exams are very variable in their inherent difficulty. If money is not an issue, many students go for both the LDS
Exam and the ORE Exam, to spread their bets. However, if money is an issue and you are located within the EU,
the ORE Exam is recommended as there have been some historical jurisdictional issues with the LDS. If you are
outside the EU and your degree is not recognised, it is better to go for the LDS.
Is the LDS exam better than ORE Exam?
Both exams allow you to do the same thing, the only difference is about whether your initial dental degree is
recognised by either institution. LDS places are inherently more scarce as the exam board annually only allows 120
candidates for the LDS part 1 - and up to up to 55 candidates for LDS part 2.
Retake policy
There are two parts to the exam, you can fail each part up to a maximum of 4 times. If you pass the LDS Part 1 you
will need to pass the second part within 5 years. The LDS board does not
guarantee
that there will be spaces on
each examination day, therefore it is strongly advised that you book your place well in advance. Each LDS Part 1
has a capacity of 80 candidates, whereas LDS part 2 only has space for 40.
LDS Exam Dates
ORE: What is LDS Exam?
https://oreexam.com/lds-exam.html[2/4/2022 4:09:03 AM]
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What do I need to know for
the LDS Exam? ►
The LDS exam date occurs around April every year. For more information have a look at the
Royal College of
Surgeons website
.
Last modified: Tuesday, 11 January 2022, 11:46 PM
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