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Diploma Of Primary Care Dentistry Examination

(Available to Sit Online Worldwide)

View Examinations Calendar

The Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry (Dip PCD RCSI) is an international exam open to all dentists, in all parts of the world and can be taken at any time following graduation. The examination consists of an MCQ and a Single Best Answer section, and takes the form of an online written paper. There is strong emphasis on clinical practice within both components of this examination.

Candidates who are successful in the examination are awarded the Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry RCSI qualification and may enter directly into the RCSI MFD Part 2 examination.

Historically offered as a face to face examination, the Faculty of Dentistry, RCSI recently announced the development of an online format of the Dip PCD RCSI examination.

We have made some slight changes to the format of the Dip PCD RCSI examination to make it more straightforward to complete online. Instead of two papers, there is now only one paper, which is of 3 hours duration. The online format includes:

  1. 375 True/ False MCQs (keeping the same format from the written version, there are 75 stems with 5 parts each which are either true or false)
  2. 33 Single Best Answer questions (where a statement is presented and candidates select what they feel is the “best” or most appropriate answer)

To access the online Dip PCD RCSI examination, candidates require the following technology: 

  • Internet connection (ideally a hardwired ethernet connection, or alternatively Wi-Fi that has a high Mpbs speed)
  • Desktop or laptop computer that has a minimum of 4Gb RAM and has a webcam
  • Windows 7+ or Mac 10.8+

Fee:
€650 Euros

Please browse through the links to find out more about the Dip PCD RCSI examination.

 

All information pertaining to the Dip PCD RCSI Examination is provided above, however if you have any questions, please visit our FAQs Section below, or you are welcome to make enquiries by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Dip PCD Frequently Asked Questions

The Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry (Dip PCD RCSI) is an international exam open to all dentists, in all parts of the world and can be taken at any time following graduation. The examination consists of an MCQ and a Single Best Answer section, and takes the form of an online written paper. There is strong emphasis on clinical practice within both components of this examination. Candidates who are successful in the examination are awarded the Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry RCSI qualification and may enter directly into the RCSI MFD Part 2 examination.

Completing the Diploma allows you to gain another set of qualifications from RCSI – Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry (RCSI), which MFD Part 1 does not offer. Should you be successful in the Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry, you can enter the RCSI MFD Part 2 examination.

The Diploma is a 3 hour assessment, where you will enter your answers online. The format consists of 375 True/ False MCQs (there are 75 stems with 5 parts each which are either true or false). Along with 33 Single Best Answer questions (where a statement is presented and candidates select what they feel is the “best” or most appropriate answer).

Candidates must be in possession of an undergraduate dental qualification recognized by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The examination may be taken at any time following graduation from Dental School.

Yes, the exam is available to all eligible candidates worldwide, once you meet our minimum software/technology requirements. The online Diploma exam is a great opportunity to allow candidates to complete the exam from the comfort of one’s own home particularly in the current Covid-19 climate. This is a carefully planned new format, which the Faculty of Dentistry, RCSI hopes will continue to allow candidates to be assessed and progress with their careers.

The MFD Part 1 is structured to be 50/50 basic sciences and clinical dentistry. In the Diploma exam, the emphasis on clinical dentistry accounts for approximately 80% of the examination. Both are three hour exams are both have the same exam format of 75 MCQs and 33 SBAs.

As both exams are equivalent, that will be each candidates individual choice. However, the Diploma exam allows you to gain another set of qualifications from RCSI – Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry (RCSI), which MFD Part 1 does not offer. Passing either the Diploma or MFD Part 1 will allow you to sit MFD Part 2 (candidates should normally be a minimum of 12 months graduated from Dental School when presenting for MFD Part 2).

The online exam is taken on a computer using a third party application. Instead of writing answers using pen and paper, or in the case of multiple choice - using bubble sheets, everything is done electronically on a computer, so depending on the questions types used, you might be selecting the answer by clicking your mouse or using your keyboard to enter data.

To access the online Diploma of Primary Care Dentistry candidates will require the following technology:

• Internet connection (ideally a hardwired ethernet connection, or alternatively Wi-Fi that has a high Mpbs speed)

• Desktop or laptop computer that has 4Gb RAM and has a webcam

• Windows 7+ or Mac 10.8+

You can view and register for our online exams here. Our online exams are very popular and to maintain the quality, we only have a limited capacity for each of the online exams that we run.

No exemptions are offered from any part of the examination.

There is no limit on the number of attempts for this examination. However, examiners may, at their discretion, defer for two years, a candidate whose performance is such that re-examining within such a time is not considered to be in his/her best interest.

We would advise candidates to ideally have a hardwired ethernet connection, or alternatively Wi-Fi that has a high Mpbs speed. You can check your Mpbs speed here - https://www.speedtest.net/

MGDS Session 1
Please note: In order to protect the intellectual property rights of the owner and to prevent unauthorised copying, sharing or distribution of materials, your user account details and IP address are recorded when accessing the Faculty's online learning materials.

 

Video playback is available below...

 

CPD

Once you have watched this video in full, please click here to provide your feedback and receive your CPD certificate.

Chitta Chowdhury

Qualifications: 

PhD (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Asahi University School of Dentistry, Japan - 1991)
FFDRCSI (By exam : Oral Surgery with Oral Medicine, RCSI - 2004)
MPH (The University of Manchester, UK - 2009)
MFDS Glasgow (Ad Eundem : RCPS Glasgow - 2019)
BDS (Dhaka University - 1980)
DAND (PG Dip Applied Nutri and Dietetics, Dhaka University, 1982)

Current Posts:

Honorary Professor and PhD Co-supervisor, Faculty of Health, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
Visiting Professor, Osaka Dental University, Japan.

Grace Kelly

Qualifications:               

BDS 2003
MFDS 2009
Dip Hyp UCL 2011
DSCD 2013
MSCD RCSP (Glas) 2013
FFD RCSI (Ad Eundem) 2016
MSc 2017

Current Post:

Hospital Practice - Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Special Care Dentistry, Cardiff University, UK.

Richeal Ni Riordain

Qualifications: 

BDS 2002
MFD RCSI 2007
PhD Oral Medicine 2011
MBBS 2014
MA Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 2018
Certificate in Healthcare Management 2018
FDS Oral Medicine RCS(Eng) 2018
FFD RCSI (Ad Eundem) 2020

Current Posts:

Consultant/Senior Lecturer in Oral Medicine, University College Cork.
Honorary Associate Professor of Oral Medicine, University College London.
Regional Dental Academic and Research Advisor, Health Education England in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, UK.

Deepak Thomas

Qualifications:   

B Dent Surg 1992
MB BChBAO 2003
MRCS (Intercollegiate) 2007
MSc 2018
FFDRCS (OSOM) 1997

Current Posts:

Consultant Oral Surgeon at the Beacon Hospital Dublin and Kingsbridge Hospital Sligo.
Specialist Oral Surgeon at Northwest Oral Surgery, Sligo and Northern Cross Dental, Dublin
Limited to Private Practice.

Fergal Rory Maguire

Qualifications: 

BDS NUI 2001

MFD RCSI 2003

M. Phil. Biomaterials  Science (University of Birmingham) 2007

M. Dent. Ch. Periodontics (U. Dubl.) 2008

FFD RCSI Periodontics 2008

Diploma of the European Federation of Periodontology 2008 

Ph. D Oral Biosciences (U. Dubl.) 2014

 

Current Post:

Private Practice limited to Periodontics and Implant Dentistry

John Ed O'Connell

Qualifications:                 

BDS NUI 2004

MFD RCSI 2007

FFD (OSOM) RCSI 2009

MB, BCh, BAO, BA 2012

MRCS RCSI 2014

FRCS (OMFS) 2019

                                 

Current Post: 

Fellow in Head and Neck Oncology with Reconstruction, UK.

Deepak Thomas

Qualifications: 

B Dent Surg 1992

MB BChBAO 2003

MRCS( Intercollegiate)2007 

MSc 2018

FFDRCS (OSOM )1997 

 

Current Post:

Consultant Oral Surgeon at the Beacon Hospital Dublin and Kingsbridge Hospital Sligo

Specialist Oral Surgeon at Northwest Oral Surgery, Sligo and Northern Cross Dental, Dublin

Limited to Private Practice

Albert Yeung

Qualifications:                 

BDS Glasgow 1989

MMedSci Sheffield 1999

DDPH RCS 2003

MPHe Manchester 2004

FFD (DPH) RCSI 2006

FDS (DPH) RCPS 2006

FHEA 2007

FFPH 2007

MPhil Manchester 2010

ACIEA 2020

MCGDent 2021

                                

Current Post: 

Consultant in Dental Public Health, NHS Lanarkshire, Scotland

Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow

Professional Adviser, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman