Licence in Dental Surgery pass rate under scrutiny

Candidates have raised concerns about an ‘exceptionally low’ pass rate of the Royal College of Surgeons of England’s redesigned Licence in Dental Surgery (LDS) assessment, Dentistry has reported,

RCS England has defended its redesign saying the examination was fair, covered material within the published syllabus and General Dental Council framework, and had been set at an appropriate standard.

The publication cited reports that only five dentists in a cohort of around 95 had passed a recent LDS sitting – much lower than in previous years.

RCS England said the changes reflect “the updated professional standards against which dentists are now expected to demonstrate competence”.

It added: “Some candidates were not able to demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills required by the professionalism and self-management sections of the GDC’s new Safe Practitioner Framework.

“We recognise that changes to the examination may be challenging for some candidates. However, it is essential that all candidates demonstrate that they meet the required standard.’

“An appeal cannot be made simply because a candidate was unaware of the assessment requirements or wishes to challenge the academic or professional judgement of the examiners.”

It concluded: ‘We continually review how we support candidates in the examination process, including information on examination format and coverage in assessing the outcomes of the GDC’s Safe Practitioner Framework.”