Guy's and St Thomas' Case Study
Over 8,000 staff work in Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital. They are two of the oldest teaching hospitals, nearly 900 years old, and they are situated right in the heart of the capital. One of the services that the trust provides is dental care, looking after over 120,000 patients a year.
Dental Hospital
Guy's Hospital near London Bridge is home to the largest dental hospital in Europe. Its services include routine dentistry, dental surgery, oral medicine and specialist dentistry. In addition Guy's also provides emergency dental services, and oral and facial surgery.
Dental work involves dental surgeons, as well as dental nurses, dental hygenists, dental therapists and dental technicians; all of which are equally important to the efficiency of the hospital's dental care services.
Dental technicians are the people who make false teeth, crowns, bridges and braces. They use a range of materials to design and make appliances, including gold, porcelain and plastic. Their job affects how patients look, how they talk, and even how they chew their food!
Lambeth College
There are strong links between Lambeth College and employers in dental technology. Student dental technicians from the Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital Trust train at Lambeth College. The formal qualification needed to become a dental technician is a BTEC National Diploma in Dental Technology. To enrol you must be over 17 years old, with 5 GCSEs at grade C or above (three of which should be science, maths and English). Applications can be made to the hospital or directly to the college. Following successful completion of this course students can then take a three-year Foundation Degree in Dental Technology.
