The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree offered by BUE is a five year full time programme of study as well as summer courses, and clinical summer training courses aimed primarily at educating and training graduates for efficient dental practice in the new century.

British University in Egypt Faculty of Dentistry is located at El-Sherouk City, Cairo-Suez road.

Admission is in accordance with Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities regulations and the required number of students is taken from among those with the highest grades.

A number of BUE Open Days are held annually to provide an opportunity for applicants and their parents to find out more about our University as well as to meet key members of staff.

Students take an English Placement Test on application, which determines a student’s level of English in regard to entry to the different English programmes.

The minimum level of English for entry to the English programme is at Intermediate-level.

Read the admissions section in our general booklet. This can also be downloaded at www.bue.edu.eg

Submit an application online at www.bue.edu.eg

Call the BUE Hotline and speak to a member of staff in the Student Affairs Department in you require further information – 19(BUE) 19283.

Students that fulfill the requirements set by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Universities in terms of subjects and grades that apply to the Faculty of Dentistry will be accepted into the Dentistry Programme with the following certificates:

• Egyptian General Certificate of Education (Thanaweya Amma)
• I.G.C.S.E
• American Diploma
• Other equivalent certificates approved by both the Supreme Council of Universities and the Ministry of Education

The early admissions period begins in January of each academic year. Applicants are encouraged to apply early in order to secure a place in their chosen programme of study.

Once programmes are full the applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

The British University in Egypt, on the authorisation of the University Senate, offers a five-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (B.D.S.) Programme in accordance with the regulations approved by the SCU.

The British University in Egypt Faculty of Dentistry is not UK validated.

A wide variety of teaching methods are used in the Dental Programme, reflecting the breadth of knowledge and skills you must develop as a dental student. These methods include Lectures, Classes, Tutorials, Practicals and Clinical Placements. Assessment in each year of the programme combines continuous assessment and end-of-year. examinations.

In Degree Year 1, Degree Year 2 and Degree Year 3, students’ continuous assessment grade is derived from integrated class examinations at the end of each semester. The end-of-year examination is also integrated, with written and practical elements. From Degree Year 4, continuous assessment has academic and clinical components. Students will continue to be assessed academically by examinations and their clinical activity will be graded at each clinical session. This helps staff identify students who may require extra support and put such help in place for them. Each year there will be Practical and Oral Exams as well as a Final Written Exam to assess each student.

Assessments in all modules take place throughout the academic year. The final examinations shall take place during the designated examination period at the end of each academic year, as well as re-sit exams for any failed module in the Summer Assessment Period (SAP) in accordance with the General Academic Regulations (GAR).

The curricula of study are divided into three phases corresponding to the three levels of learning. The first phase, corresponding to level one comprises one year and is devoted to basic medical sciences necessary to prepare the dental student to comprehend human biology. The second phase comprises two years and is devoted to the study of basic and applied dental sciences as well as being a Pre-Clinical phase in which the dental student studies and is trained on models and simulators before he/she is ready for the final stage of training. Phase three, corresponding to level three, comprises the last two years in which the student studies applied clinical dental courses as well as being trained in specialised dental Clinics.

There are 3 main periods of assessment for year-long modules during the academic year:
Mid-Year Exam at the end of the Fall Term (January). End of Year Exams at the end of the academic year (May-June). Re-sit Exams at the end of the summer refresher courses will be carried out at the end of courses (August).

Strategy of basic infection prevention and settings for working inside dental hospital clinics under COVID-19 
circumstances

With the Covid-19 circumstances, certain guidelines were set for the opening of dental clinics:

• Maintaining a safe distance:

To maintain a safe distance, 2 feet distance in all directions irrespective of the environmental conditions is set to prevent spread of aerosol and infection. Accordingly the following actions were taken:

• In non-partitioned clinics, every patient will sit on a dental unit while keeping the neighboring unit free and marked with a (Don’t Sit) sign.
• In partitioned clinics, every unit is isolated with a partition of about 2 feet distance away from the neighboring unit

• Ventilation system modifications is recognized as a means to reduce airborne transmission:
  • Particulate filters and ventilation system will be checked and cleaned every 12 Hrs
  • Additional ventilation with outdoor air will be secured by regular/ periodic ventilation through, e.g., window opening
  • Air cleaning and disinfection devices is supplied by means of a decontamination device which has been found to be effective against a suite of microorganisms including coronaviruses
• Facilities for patients:
  • Signs of respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette and hand hygiene are posted in triage areas (e.g., at entrance, in waiting areas and elevators) guiding patients.
  • Facemasks are provided to all patients upon entry (if they are not already wearing one) and kept on until they leave
  • Alcohol based hand sanitizer for hand hygiene is available at each entrance, in waiting areas and near treatment stations.
  • Space signs in waiting area for patients to sit separated by at least 6 feet
  • Guiding colored coded lines is put on floor to guide patients for required clinic

• Strict infection control guidelines are announced to all staff members and dental assistants and nurses during presence in dental clinics while being in a full personal protective equipment (PPE):
  • wear supplied surgical masks
  • wear supplied higher-level respirator when checking patients
  • wear supplied gloves
  • wear supplied protective shields
  • wear supplied disposable gowns
  • wear supplied disposable overshoes
• Strict rules are announced to dental students during their presence in dental clinics, these include:

The students since their entrance will be in their full ppe :

• Head caps (complete coverage for hair and tied hair for girls)
• Disposable long gowns
• Overshoes
• Face shield
• N 95 masks or double surgical masks
• The gown sleeves end are covered by gloves

The student who is going to work is asked to be present inside the clinic beside his/her unit (No colleagues or assistants)

Before asking the patient to enter the clinic, the student is asked to properly:

• Wrap the light handles
• The dental chair, from head rest to down
• The dental stool
• The drawer handles
• The unit buttons
• The Bracket table handle
• Sharp disposable objects will be put in its boxes

In between each patient and another, a nurse will follow certain steps to sterilize the unit and cabinets (within 15 minutes)

The world is now facing an ultimate surprising spreading challenge and a global crisis which is 2019 novel coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. Which affected millions of lives around the world. It began its rapid spread in December 2019 from Wuhan City in China. Since its emergence  in  Asia,  cases  have  been  spreading  and  identified  in  many other countries worldwide. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January, and a pandemic on 11 March. As of 14 July 2020, there have been at least 572,411 confirmed deaths and more than 13,070,097 confirmed cases in the COVID 19 pandemic. The Minster of health in Egypt announced the first case in the country on February 2020 and notified WHO. After which the number of patients increased drastically. In 2019 novel coronavirus or SARS COVI 2, belongs to a large family of Coronaviruses. They are enveloped positive sense RNA viruses ranging from 60 nm to 140 nm in diameter with spike like projections on its surface giving it a crown like appearance under the electron microscope; hence the name coronavirus. Human civilization has witnessed three major epidemics caused by Coronaviruses namely:

• Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV) in 2003
• Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) in 2012
• In  2019  SARS-CoV-2  Which     causes    corona virus disease infection known as  (COVID 19) which has greater transmission and mortality rate

Corona virus is widely suspected to originate from bats then spread and transmitted through Human-to-human transmission via Inhaling small droplets of symptomatic patients or Asymptomatic carriers , accordingly it was characterized by being highly  causing severe acute respiratory disease syndrome, Other routes implicated in transmission of coronaviruses include contact with contaminated fomites and so  transition could be indirect through touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands infected  with the droplets of infected person , Since that most of  dental procedures require close contact with the patient’s oral cavity, hence saliva which could be loaded with the virus as well as respiratory droplets , in the existing COVID 19 pandemic, Dental health care Professionals, dental assistants  as well as patients undergoing dental procedures are at high risk of cross-infection.

Thus, this pandemic forced dental sector to stop and take serious precautions procedures. According to Center of disease control and prevention, COVID-19 had a wide range of symptoms reported and continue to be updated – ranging from Mild symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, and loss of sense of smell. To serious severe symptoms causing lung damage and pneumonia. Up till the discovering of an effective treatment or even vaccination, protective measures, precautions and recommendations were announced by world Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease control and prevention (CDC).

Dental professionals are at high risk for nosocomial infection and can become potential carriers of the disease. These risks can be attributed to the unique nature of dental interventions, which include aerosol generation, handling of sharps, and proximity of the provider to the patient’s oropharyngeal region. In addition, if adequate precautions are not taken, the dental office can potentially expose patients to cross contamination. Green light was announced for proceeding the dental practice in dental clinics and hospitals taking in consideration restricted safety precautions and guidelines.

As the Faculty hospital is planning to regain and start offering patients’ dental health services, the infection control unit set the needs to our frontline clinicians, promoting a multidisciplinary approach.

So the following are protocols to be followed in the dental clinics during dental Practice with COVID-19 pandemic.