The LDS in 2026: three parts, a new format, and a very low first pass rate

What the LDS is

The Licence in Dental Surgery is awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of England and, like the ORE, entitles you to apply for full GDC registration. RCS England describes it as the oldest continuously existing dental qualification in the UK. The destination is identical; the route is different.

LDS or ORE?

The cost gap opened up in May 2026 when the ORE Part 2 fee rose 65%. On price alone the LDS is now the cheaper route by roughly £3,000.

The three parts

Part 1 — written, taken at home

Remote online proctored through the Surpass platform. Two papers, A and B, 150 single best answer questions each, three hours each, sat in one sitting on the same exam date — Paper A on day one, Paper B on day two. Both are one sitting and both must be passed in it. The GDC publishes the three hours and the two-day dates but not the number of questions, so treat the count as a guide. You need a computer with webcam and microphone, a second camera on a phone, and a reliable connection. Results in five to six weeks.

Part 2 — in person, two days

A 12-station OSCE at seven minutes a station, plus structured clinical reasoning: six 20-minute cases on diagnosis, management and treatment planning. Both components must be passed in the same sitting. Held at RCS England in London. Results in about four weeks. More in the LDS Part 2 guide.

Part 3 — in person, one day

A three-hour operative assessment on a dental manikin, marked against the Safe Practitioner Framework across clinical knowledge and skills, interpersonal skills, professionalism and self-management. Admission letters go out six weeks ahead; results in five to six weeks. More in the LDS Part 3 guide.

Eligibility and evidence

• A dental qualification, plus an ENIC statement for non-EEA graduates.
• At least 1,600 hours of clinical experience immediately preceding Part 2.
• A certificate of good standing and a character reference from a registered professional who is not a relative.
• A current Basic Life Support certificate, and hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV serology within three months of passing Part 3.
• English by IELTS or TOEFL, with exemptions for EEA nationals, those with indefinite leave to remain, and UK graduates.

Still some way from the 1,600 hours? There is a Royal College qualification you can sit before you register anywhere: the RCSI Diploma in Primary Care Dentistry is open to any dentist with a degree RCSI recognises, needs no licence in any country, and is sat online, remotely proctored, worldwide. It will not register you with the GDC — only the LDS or the ORE does that — but you can sit it now.

If you passed a part under the old format

You do not have to resit. RCS England confirmed that candidates who passed Part 1 or Part 2 before the summer 2026 changeover can progress into the new Part 2 or Part 3. This is a far more generous transition than the one applied to the MFDS.

Frequently asked

What is the LDS exam? The Licence in Dental Surgery, awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Like the ORE it entitles you to apply for full GDC registration. RCS England describes it as the oldest continuously existing dental qualification in the UK. The destination is identical to the ORE; the route is different.

How many parts does the LDS have? Three since 2026, realigned to the GDC's Safe Practitioner Framework. Part 1 is two written papers sat at home under remote proctoring, Part 2 is a 12-station OSCE plus six clinical reasoning cases, and Part 3 is a three-hour operative assessment on a dental manikin.

How much does the LDS cost? About £4,554 in exam fees: £1,025 for Part 1, £1,793 for Part 2 and £1,736 for Part 3. That is roughly £3,000 cheaper than the ORE, a gap that opened when ORE Part 2 rose 65% in May 2026.

Is the LDS easier than the ORE? Neither is easier in the abstract. They test the same underlying knowledge and lead to the same registration. The practical differences are cost, where you sit each part, and the fact that the LDS Part 2 format is new and unproven.

How many attempts do I get at the LDS? Four at Part 1 and three at each of Parts 2 and 3, within a five-year limit that runs across all three parts together rather than per part.