Dental Council of Ireland · statutory examination · £199
The Irish registration examination, written out subject by subject
The Dental Council of Ireland’s statutory examination is the registration route for dentists whose qualification does not carry automatic recognition in Ireland. It is examined in short-answer papers, not multiple choice, and there is very little published about it. £199 for all of it, three years’ access — 457 written questions with a model answer marked point by point, and a revision guide of 290 topics across 23 subjects, built against the Council’s own Learning Outcomes and against more than a hundred pieces of feedback from candidates who have sat it.
What it is
A statutory examination, at the standard of an Irish graduate
Held by the Dental Council of Ireland (An Chomhairle Fiaclóireachta) under section 27(2)(d) of the Dentists Act 1985. The Council sets the standard as that expected of a graduating student from a dental school within Ireland, and registration is the legal precondition to practise.
A statutory route, not a college exam
It exists in legislation. Passing it is what allows an application for registration with the Dental Council, and registration is what allows practice.
Irish law, Irish regulators, Irish schemes
The Society paper examines the regulation of dentistry in Ireland, Irish law and ethics, Irish dental public health and critical evaluation of evidence. A candidate answering from UK guidance will use terminology that does not exist here, which is why this course teaches the difference explicitly.
Written in short answers, not multiple choice
Every written paper is a short-answer paper. You write the answer; nothing is chosen from a list. The count of questions has changed between sittings, so what is worth knowing is the shape: three hours, all questions compulsory, each carrying the same marks.
Two parts, one cycle a year
Part 1 in Dublin and Part 2 in Cork, about two months apart. There is one sitting of each per year, so a missed cycle is a year.
Before you apply
Who may sit it — and the requirement most people miss
The eligibility rules are stricter than the UK routes in one specific way, and it catches people out.
Three years of practice, within the last five
At least three consecutive years of lawful practice of dentistry within the preceding five years. A recent graduate must have practised continuously since graduating. This is the rule that most often makes someone ineligible, and it is not a feature of the UK routes.
A five-year degree the Council accepts
A dental degree from a course the Council accepts as equivalent to a minimum five-year full-time university dental programme.
OET grade B, or IELTS Academic 7.0
OET (Dentistry) at grade B in all four modules, or IELTS Academic 7.0 in all four, taken within the previous two years. At-home versions are not accepted. Not required if your degree was taught entirely in English and you can evidence it.
A Certificate of Good Standing, and certified documents
Documents must be certified, and translated where they are not in English.
How to book
The application window, then a random draw
You cannot apply when you are ready. You apply when the window is open, and then it is chance.
A single week in January
For the 2026 sitting, applications were accepted only during one week in January. The Council typically announces the window between November and December, and an application sent before the announced date is not considered.
Places allocated by random selection
Not first come first served. Applying on the first minute of the first day confers no advantage. Ireland-based candidates who missed out in both draws were prioritised for the next sitting.
Eighty per cent to candidates already in Ireland
Eighty per cent of places go to candidates already resident or established in Ireland, evidenced by a PPS number or immigration permission. Twenty per cent go to candidates applying from abroad.
Three working days to accept, and no routine deferrals
An offered place must be accepted within three working days. There are no routine deferrals. Not attending counts as an attempt, and there is no refund once attendance is confirmed.
Places were once allocated first come first served, and in 2024 the examination was oversubscribed by 1.15pm on the day applications opened. Random selection replaced it from the 2025 sitting so a seat no longer depends on submitting a form quickly.
The two parts
Part 1 in Dublin, Part 2 in Cork, about two months apart
One cycle a year. Part 1 is usually March or April and Part 2 June or July.
Part 1 — three written papers
Health — anatomy, dental and head and neck anatomy, oral histology and oral physiology. Disease — immunology, medicine, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and surgery. Society — law and ethics, the regulation of dentistry in Ireland, dental public health and critical evaluation of evidence. All three must be passed in a single sitting.
Part 1 — the bench test
Practical operative dentistry on manikin heads in a simulated clinical environment, in a session of about three hours. Tasks rotate between sittings and have included crown preparation with a provisional, rubber dam placement, cavity preparations and endodontic access. The grading scheme is disclosed to candidates at the start, and preparing the wrong tooth is an automatic fail.
Part 2 — three written papers
Restorative Dentistry, Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine, and Child Dental Health. Short-answer papers of three hours, usually set in two sections, most often with a separate answer book for each.
Part 2 — OSCE and clinical vivas
An OSCE of clinical and rest stations covering diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical decision-making and basic clinical skills, and clinical vivas with pairs of examiners across the three Part 2 subjects. Each Part 2 component is passed individually, with no compensation within or between them.
Attempts, fees and marking
What the Council publishes, and what it does not
Two attempts at Part 1, three at Part 2
A maximum of two attempts at Part 1 and three at Part 2. Repeating Part 1, you may be exempted from a component you already passed; repeating Part 2, you sit every component again.
€1,500 first attempt, €750 repeat
The examination fee. Registration after passing is a separate application fee of €400, with an annual retention fee thereafter.
Pass marks set by standard setting
The Council states that pass marks are set by standard setting and should not be assumed to be 50 per cent. It does not publish pass marks, and has reported results only occasionally.
Content may be revised annually
The Council says the examination content may be revised annually, and accepting a place means accepting the content in place when you apply.
The Council does not publish pass marks, and it has reported pass results only occasionally (7 of 22 at Part 2 in 2018; 13 of 20 in 2023). It states that the pass mark is set by standard setting and should not be assumed to be 50 per cent. Check the source and year of any figure you are quoted; this course will not give you one.
What we built
£199, and it is yours for three years
There is one official syllabus artefact — the Learning Outcomes the Council approved in December 2013 — and it says of itself that it is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Everything else has to be worked out from the examination. That is what this is.
457 written questions, each with a model answer
In the Council’s own short-answer format. You write the answer and it is marked against a model answer point by point, with your own correction where the marker misses a point you made.
A revision guide of 290 topics across 23 subjects
Written out in full, not a list of headings — built against the Learning Outcomes and the competence domains, with 21 diagrams and clinical pictures through it.
6 mock papers, one for each written component
Timed against the clock, 16 questions each, marked the way the paper is marked. They open once your sitting is booked.
Search, bookmarks and your own notes
Across the whole course, with a weakness report worked out from what you get wrong so revision goes where it is needed.
A study group, and someone to ask
A place in the WhatsApp group, with mentor support.
Already with us for ORE or LDS? The Irish course is a separate course with its own sign-in — the same email address is fine.
The examination, in plain terms
Questions candidates ask before they apply
What is the Dental Council of Ireland examination?
It is a statutory examination held by the Dental Council of Ireland (An Chomhairle Fiaclóireachta) under section 27(2)(d) of the Dentists Act 1985. It is the registration route for dentists whose qualification does not carry automatic recognition in Ireland. The Council sets the standard as that expected of a graduating student from a dental school within Ireland.
Who is eligible to sit it?
A dental degree from a course the Council accepts as equivalent to a five-year full-time university programme, and at least three consecutive years of lawful practice of dentistry within the preceding five years. That practice requirement is the difference candidates most often miss: if you graduated less than three years ago, the Council says you must have practised continuously since graduation, so confirm your eligibility with the Council before applying. The UK routes have no such requirement. English is evidenced by OET (Dentistry) at grade B in all four modules or IELTS Academic 7.0 in all four, taken within two years. At-home versions of either test are not accepted. A test may not be required if your degree was taught entirely in English and you can evidence it.
How do you get a seat?
For the 2026 sitting, applications were accepted only during one week in January. Places are then allocated by random selection, not first come first served. Eighty per cent of places go to candidates already resident or established in Ireland, evidenced by a PPS number or immigration permission, and twenty per cent to candidates applying from abroad. Ireland-based candidates who missed out in both draws were prioritised for the next sitting. An offered place must be accepted within three working days, there are no routine deferrals, and not attending counts as an attempt.
Why is selection random?
Places were previously allocated first come first served. In 2024 the examination was oversubscribed by 1.15pm on the day applications opened, and the Council moved to random selection from the 2025 sitting so that a seat no longer depends on how quickly a form can be submitted. Capacity is small and limited by the dental schools that host the examination.
What does Part 1 consist of?
Part 1 is held in Dublin, usually in March or April. It is three written papers — Health, Disease and Society — and a bench test of practical operative dentistry on manikin heads in a simulated clinical environment. Each written paper is a short-answer paper of three hours. Every question must be attempted and each carries the same marks. All three written papers must be passed in a single sitting.
What does Part 2 consist of?
Part 2 is held in Cork, usually in June or July, about two months after Part 1. It is three written papers — Restorative Dentistry, Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine, and Child Dental Health — together with an OSCE of clinical and rest stations and clinical vivas with pairs of examiners. Each component is passed individually; there is no compensation within or between them.
How many attempts do you get, and what does it cost?
Part 1 allows a maximum of two attempts and Part 2 a maximum of three. The examination fee is €1,500 for a first attempt and €750 for a repeat. Registration after passing is a separate application fee of €400, with an annual retention fee thereafter.
What is the pass mark?
The Council sets pass marks by standard setting and states that they should not be assumed to be 50 per cent. It does not publish pass marks, and has reported pass results only occasionally, in its annual report and newsletter. Check the source and year of any figure you are given.
Is there an official syllabus?
One document: the Learning Outcomes approved by the Council in December 2013, which is still the syllabus it links to. It sets out the Part 1 and Part 2 subjects and seven competence domains, and says of itself that it is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive. Everything beyond it has to be worked out from the examination itself.
What does your course cover?
457 written questions in the Council’s own short-answer format, each with a model answer marked point by point; a revision guide of 290 topics across 23 subjects, written out in full; 6 mock papers, one for each written component; and 21 diagrams and clinical pictures through the guide with 70 more in the question bank. One payment of £199 covers all of it for three years.