SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Bachelor of Dental Science

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
79128	Bachelor of Dental Science
ORIGINATOR
University of Limpopo
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
National First Degree(Min 480)	Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services		Promotive Health and Developmental Services
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	480	Level 7	NQF Level 08	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 091/21	2021-07-01	2023-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2024-06-30		2029-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification replaces:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
2325	Bachelor of Dental Science	Level 7	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L7	939	Complete

This qualification is replaced by:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
97027	Bachelor of Dental Surgery	Not Applicable	NQF Level 08	480	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

Primary purpose:
1. To provide qualifiers with specific knowledge, skills and competence in the field of dentistry that will enable them to register as dentists with the Medical and Dental professional board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Subsidiary purpose:
2. To provide South Africa with an adequate supply of dentists.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Applicants who want to register for the BDS degree must be in possession of a matriculation or matriculation exemption certificate with pass marks in Mathematics,
Physical science, Biology and English. Applicants with further education and training
certificates, diplomas and degrees will be considered on merit.
The curriculum committee is currently investigating the entrance requirements for this qualification..

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

A newly qualified dentist must:

1. Know how and be able to promote oral health and be competent to apply supportive methods of health education and communication skills

2. Know how and be able to determine the prevalence of oral diseases and abnormalities and apply appropriate preventive strategies on both an individual and a community basis.

3. Know how and be competent to examine for and identify correctly all oral and dental diseases and abnormalities, the management of which falls within the permitted scope of practice of a dentist.

4. Know how and be competent to recognize and refer clinical problems the management of which does not fall within the permitted scope of practice of a dentist.

5. Know how and be competent to plan and implement the oral health services essential to the total care programme of the individual patient.

6. Know how and be competent to function within the structures of public dentistry, and be able to function within the mission and mode of primary health care systems in the public health services in South Africa.

7. Know how and be competent to function within the private practice setting and understand the business, logistical and ergonomic principles of practice administration.

8. Be able to maintain continued competence and to keep abreast of up to date techniques and procedures.

9. Know the laws and ethical rules and regulations controlling the practice of the oral health professions in South Africa, with specific reference to the scope and nature of dentistry as set out by the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

10. Know how to engage in lifelong learning through well developed learning skills.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Integrated assessment.

In order to assess whether the exit-level outcomes have been achieved, a range of formative and summative assessments are done throughout the five and a half years of study. These include simulations, work-place assessments, achievement of certain minimum clinical procedures, portfolios and written and oral tests and examinations. The exit-level outcomes of each year must have been achieved before a student can proceed to the next year of study and training.
In the case of clinical competence a qualifier is assessed to ensure that s/he has mastered all the relevant procedures and techniques.
In the case of knowledge assessment samples of the qualifier's knowledge is tested for depth and width of knowledge.
A qualifier must have, through the above assessment procedures, proved that s/he has achieved the NQF level 7 standards.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

The BDS degree is comparable with the BDS and BChD degrees in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the DDS degree in the United States of America

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

There are no articulation with qualificatons at other institutions.

The qualifications toward which the BDS graduate may proceed are:

1. Postgraduate Diploma in Dentistry
2. Master of Dentistry (Community Dentistry)
3. Master of Dentistry (Maxillo-facial and Oral Surgery)
4. Master of Dentistry (Oral Pathology)
5. Master of Dentistry (Orthodontics)
6. Master of Dentistry (Periodontics and Oral Medicine)
7. Master of Dentistry (Prosthodontics)
8. Master of Dental Sciences

There are no exit-level outcomes articulating with other qualifications.

MODERATION OPTIONS

The Faculty maintains a bank of external examiners as approved by Council, with the necessary knowledge, academic qualifications, clinical/practical expertise and national and international standing, from which the external examiners are appointed for each year.
Inspectors appointed by the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa, inspect the exit level outcomes of this qualification on a regular basis to ensure that all the criteria necessary for registration with the Medical and Dental Professional Board of the Health Professions Council of South Africa are met.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

All the academic staff members of the Faculty of Dentistry with the necessary
academic qualifications and experience will be used as internal assessors.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

When qualifications are replaced, some (but not all) of their learning programmes are moved to the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replaced qualification.

NONE

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

1.	University of Limpopo