Internationally trained dentists pursuing UK GDC or Australian ADC registration must reach Grade B across all four OET sub-tests. Writing is consistently the bottleneck. Our corrections use dentistry-specific case notes and the six-criteria marking the examiner applies.
Quick answer
Internationally trained dentists need Grade B (350) in each of the four OET sub-tests for GDC (UK), ADC (Australia), and equivalent regulators. No Grade C+ concession applies for dentists. Writing is the most retaken sub-test — typically due to Genre & Style losses when adapting register from colleague-dentist to non-dentist addressee (e.g. GP, family member). Tooth notation systems (FDI, Universal, Palmer) require adjustment to the addressee.
Sent to an oral surgeon, orthodontist, paediatric dentist, or endodontist. Tests your ability to summarise findings concisely and state the reason for referral clearly.
Marking watch-out: Purpose — reason for referral must lead, not the patient's full dental history.
Following a complex procedure (extraction, surgical, root canal). Addressee is typically the patient's GP or referring dentist.
Marking watch-out: Conciseness — summarise the procedure and follow-up; don't narrate every appointment.
When a patient moves practice or requires a multi-stage plan documented for another clinician. Addressee usually a colleague dentist.
Marking watch-out: Organisation — logical clinical handover order (history → current status → plan → next steps).
Costs marks in: Genre & Style
Using FDI tooth notation or dental shorthand when the addressee is a GP or family member. Fix: write '#11 (upper right central incisor)' rather than just '#11'.
Costs marks in: Conciseness & Clarity
Defining basic dental terms in a referral to an oral surgeon. Fix: assume colleague-level dental knowledge in colleague-addressed letters.
Costs marks in: Purpose
Opening with patient demographics rather than the reason for referral. Fix: 'I am referring this patient for [specific procedure]' in sentence one.
Costs marks in: Organisation & Layout
Walking through each visit chronologically when the addressee only needs the current status. Fix: organise by relevance to the addressee, not by date.
The General Dental Council (GDC) requires Grade B (350) in each of the four OET sub-tests for registration in the UK. There is no equivalent of the NMC Grade C+ Writing concession for dentists — all four must reach Grade B.
Yes. The Australian Dental Council (ADC) and AHPRA accept OET with Grade B (350) across all four sub-tests for dental registration. Combined sittings within the validity window are accepted.
Dentists are usually asked to write a referral letter to a specialist (oral surgeon, orthodontist, paediatric dentist) or a discharge letter following a procedure. The case notes are dentistry-specific — including tooth notation, periodontal findings, and treatment history. Profession-aware correction matters because nursing or medical correctors may not catch tooth-notation errors or specialist-referral nuances.
Dental notation systems (Universal vs Palmer vs FDI) and dentistry-specific shorthand often appear in case notes, and candidates either over-explain or under-explain depending on the assumed reader. The most common criterion lost is Genre & Style — adapting the register to a non-dentist GP versus a specialist colleague. Conciseness & Clarity is the second most common loss point.
First-time candidates typically pass after 4-6 corrections; re-takers more often need 6-8 corrections across 4-8 weeks. The dentistry cohort is smaller than nursing or medicine, but the marking pattern is consistent — Writing is the most retaken sub-test.
Guidance for every OET profession — nursing, medicine, pharmacy and more.
What examiners look for, criterion by criterion.
Reference structures for referral and discharge.
Cross-profession patterns that cost marks.
Marked against the six OET criteria by a corrector aware of dental notation and referral patterns. 24-hour turnaround.
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