All dental students in Scotland will have to repeat a year of school after Covid prevented them getting enough training to safely qualify
- Pandemic has prevented students from getting vital experience in procedures
- Schools in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh are deferring graduations
- Affected students will be able to apply for a bursary up to £6,750
Dental students in Scotland will have to repeat a year after their training was disrupted by the coronavirus crisis.
The pandemic has prevented students from getting vital experience in procedures such as drilling, prompting dental schools to defer graduations.
Schools in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh have all decided to defer the awarding of qualifications.
The SNP‘s public health minister Mairi Gougeon said affected students would be able to apply for a bursary up to £6,750, which is equivalent to what is given to cover student loans.
Dental students in Scotland will have to repeat a year after their training was disrupted by the coronavirus crisis
Ms Gougeon added: ‘Many students have not gained the necessary clinical experience this year, which has resulted in the difficult decision to defer graduation.’
Scottish health secretary Jeanne Freeman said she recognised how disappointing the decision would be for students, the BBC reported.
She said the decision was a ‘tough one’ but was made to give ‘dental students the experience that has been denied them this year because of the pandemic.’
‘We need to ensure that people studying dentistry can enter the profession as confident fully-qualified clinicians,’ she added.
The dental schools in question said students had been unable to get experience in aerosol generating procedures (AGPs).
AGPs, which are very common, can cause droplets to spray into the air, increasing the risk that coronavirus could spread.
The pandemic has prevented students from getting vital experience in procedures such as drilling, prompting dental schools to defer graduations
Graduation in Aberdeen has been deferred to the winter. In Glasgow and Edinburgh completion will be in summer next year.
Professor Phil Taylor, the dean of the faculty of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, backed the move.
He said: ‘Patient safety is always at the forefront of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s actions and this decision supports our efforts in this respect.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the move was a ‘big blow’ to final year students who had been hoping to move into employment.