Diploma in Implant Dentistry & Prosthetic Dentistry (International) (RCSEd)

About the diploma

This international program is co-organised by The Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, The Hong Kong Institute of Implant Dentistry, and HKAGDP. It is also accredited by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

As the first structured program of its kind, it is designed to guide participants from foundational to intermediate levels in Implant Dentistry and Prosthetic Dentistry. The program aims to provide comprehensive training in fundamental principles alongside the latest advancements in the field.

Participants will gain both surgical and restorative knowledge related to dental implants, supported by evidence-based learning. Through a combination of theoretical instruction and practical training, the program equips clinicians with the competencies required to deliver high-quality care in Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry in their daily practice.

Learning Objectives & Scope

  • To build essential knowledge and clinical competence in implant dentistry, with a focus on accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and implant surgery involving minor augmentation.

  • To uphold practice standards that ensure patient safety, support consistent training, and guide clinicians in delivering competent, evidence-based implant care.

  • To ensure patients receive thorough assessment, clear treatment and maintenance planning, and sufficient information on risks, costs, alternatives, and prognosis before giving informed consent.

Eligibility

Upon successful completion, candidates will be awarded the Diploma in Implant Dentistry (Dip Imp Dent RCS Ed.) by The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, as well as the Diploma in Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry by the School of Stomatology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

To be eligible for the award of the Diploma, candidates must demonstrate full compliance with all programme regulations, including full attendance at all classes and successful completion of all examinations.

Entrance Requirements:

Having been working as a qualified dentist for at least two years, including the completion of 12 months’ full-time postgraduate experience in dentistry (general practice, hospital, community, academic or armed forces).

Possession of a primary dental qualification that is acceptable to the Local Dental Council.

Course Structure

  • Covers the fundamental principles of implant dentistry, including patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and understanding implant systems.

  • Focuses on surgical techniques, case selection, implant placement, and minor augmentation procedures with an emphasis on safety and precision.

  • Introduces prosthetic principles, restoration planning, and techniques for achieving functional and aesthetic implant outcomes.

  • Highlights long-term care, complication management, and maintenance protocols to ensure the longevity and success of dental implants.

Course Structure:

Each module is delivered over a 3 day programme using a face to face (direct contact) approach via taught structured sessions conducted over a minimum of 80 hours.  

Each module covers different level of knowledge and skills over the general, surgical, restorative and maintenance aspects of implant dentistry. Participants will also be expected to complete the following as part of the requirement during the 2 year period:

  1. Portfolio of Clinical cases: 4 clinical cases of specified indicationsusing a specified template

  2. Clinical observations: These will take placed in associated/accredited clinical bases.   Currently there are 2 bases in Shenzhen, China, namely Shenzhen University General Hospital and Shenzhen Luohu People’s Hospital.

  3. Written Assignments: Based on 12 relevant topics in implant and prosthetic dentistry

  4. Log book of activity related to implants and associated activities: Can include attendance at teaching clinics, meetings, conferences, seminars and must incorporate a learning outcome and reflective comment

    • Introduction: diploma of implant dentistry

    • soft tissue consideration in implant therapy

    • Anatomical consideration in implant therapy

    • Socket healing and socket management 

    • Implant design in geometry and material

    • Replacement of missing tooth/teeth: treatment options and their evidence

    • Modern radiographic imaging in implant treatment

    • An overview of procedures and techniques of implant surgery

    • Pre-therapy examination and assessment

    • Medical consideration for dental implant therapy

    • Overview of guided surgery

    • Flap design and suture technique

    • Emergency in dental clinic

    • Communication, principles of consent

    • Timing of implant placement and loading protocol

    • SAC assessment in implant therapy

    • Digital workflow in implant dentistry 

    • Hands-on: incision design, flap design, suture technique

    • Mock examination

    • Surgical concepts and principles of implant surgery(first stage and second stage)

    • Anesthesia and patient monitoring

    • Use of cone beam computed tomography in implant dentistry

    • Evidence of immediate loading

    • Role of autogenous bone

    • Pre-therapy examination and assessment

    • Surgery: live demonstration

    • Evidence of immediate implantation& placement 

    • Bone harvesting techniques

    • types of augmentation material

    • Principles of minor augmentation and materials 

    • Principle of guided bone regeneration

    • Hands on: bone grafting

    • Examination techniques

    • Mock examination

    • Lateral window approach for maxillary sinus floor elevation

    • Alveolar crestal approach for maxillary sinus floor elevation

    • Prosthodontic planning principles for implant placement

    • Demonstration: maxillary sinus floor elevation (lateral window approach)

    • Demonstration: maxillary sinus floor elevation (alveolar crestal approach)

    • Superstructure design and material selection for implant prosthesis

    • Implant supported overdenture

    • Monitoring peri-implant tissue health

    • Maintenance scheme for dental implants

    • Hands-on: impression taking (conventional and digital) and occlusional registration

    • Hands-on: fitting of cement/screw-retained implant prosthesis

    • Mock examinations (OSCE and written examination)

    • Abutment selection

    • Treatment plan for implant restorations: fixed vs removable, number of fixtures, materials, communication with patients)

    • Transitional denture: types, procedures, implications

    • Prosthetic-driven surgical planning

    • Implant restorations: role of the dental laboratory

    • Case study: replacement of missing anterior single tooth, missing posterior single tooth, multiple missing teeth, edentulous arch with implant-supported restorations

    • Fabrication of implant-supported overdentures and transitional dentures

    • How does TMD play a role in dental implant treatment?

    • Marginal bone loss in dental implant and oral hygiene maintenance

    • Clinical procedures of restoring implant supported fixed prostheses

    • Case presentation by candidates

    • Mock examination

    • Lecture: peri-implantitis and implant complications – Eastman Dental Hospital (London)

    • Educational tour – Edinburgh, Scotland

    • Prep course – RCSEd (Scotland)

Course Structure

    • Basic level

      1. Scientific basis of Dental Implants including the concepts of osseointegration, implant systems, implant surfaces, prosthetic connections

      2. Treatment options for replacing failing and missing teeth including the evidence base

      3. Treatment planning for the implant patient I: Healthy vs periodontally compromised patient

      4. Treatment planning for the implant patient II: Diagnostic aides and imaging

      5. Treatment Planning for the implant patient III: Surgically Vs. Prosthetically driven placement

      6. Treatment Outcomes: Success vs Survival

      7. Infection control: Asepsis and Sterilization

      8. TMJ and Occlusion in Implant Dentistry

      9. TMJ MRI-measurement and assessment

      10. Joint-jaw-occlusion combined treatment concept

      11. TMJ condylar resorption and unstable occlusion

      12. Materials in Implant Dentistry and Prosthetic Dentistry

      13. Evidence based treatment planning

      Intermediate level

      1. Complications associated with Implants including failure using an evidence based approach

      2. Peri-implant Tissue: In health and disease

      3. Surgical placement: immediate, early, delayed or standard

      4. Restoring implants – immediate, early or standard

      5. Restoring implants – Loading Protocols including criteria for immediate loading

      6. Digital Workflows in Implant Dentistry – from impressions to restoration

      7. Hard and soft tissue augmentation to enhance treatment outcomes

      8. Joint-jaw-occlusion combined treatment protocol

    • Basic level

      1. Anatomical considerations including site assessment relevant to dental implant

      2. Pain control and management for surgical intervention (eg local anesthesia; Sedation)

      3. Standard implant placement in the edentulous patient for denture retention

      4. Standard implant placement for single tooth replacement (straightforward case)

      5. Standard Implant placement in the partially dentate patient (straightforward case)

      6. Socket preservation following tooth extraction

      7. Clinical anatomy of TMJ

      Intermediate level

      1. Implant placement in the aesthetic zone

      2. Immediate implant in non-infected sockets

      3. Simultaneous implant placement with guided bone regeneration (contour augmentation)

      4. Simultaneous implant placement with internal sinus lift procedure

      5. Staged implant placement following Ridge Augmentation with onlay block graft (intraoral)

      6. Staged implant placement following external sinus lift procedure

      7. Computerised planning using CADCAM techniques to provide static guides for surgery

      8. Computer aided dynamic navigation for implant placement

      9. Guided surgery and navigation

      10. Surgical disc repositioning

      11. Joint reconstruction

    • Single-Unit to Multi-Unit Restoration:

      Basic level

      1. Prosthetically-driven treatment planning

        1. Role of the existing prosthesis

        2. Role of temporary prosthesis

      2. Impression techniques and materials

      3. Range of prosthetic components

      4. Abutment selection

        1. Comparison between screw-retained and cement-retained restorations

        2. Platform shifting: its significance and relevant evidence

        3. Abutment materials

      5. Treatment options

        1. Fixed and removable prosthesis

        2. number of implants

        3. materials of the prosthesis

        4. communication and decision making with the patient

      6. Fitting of a prosthesis

        1. Procedures involved

        2. Assessment and management of a mis-fitting prosthesis or framework

        3. Communication with the dental laboratories

      7. Functional training after TMJ surgery

      Intermediate level

      1. Provisionalization: options, procedures, and significance of a provisional restoration

      2. Prosthetically-driven treatment planning: moving from dentures to fixed prosthesis

      3. Conversion of a removable prosthesis into a provisional implant-retained or implant-supported prosthesis

      4. Role of digital techniques in

        1. Treatment planning

        2. Communication with patients

        3. Surgical planning

        4. Fabrication of prosthesis

      5. Prosthetic complications: prevention and management and their evidence

      6. Prothodontics following TMJ surgery

      7. Mandibular repositioning after disc reposition

      8. Treatment planning with joint reconstruction

      9. Occlusion reconstruction in TMJ tumor, anakylosis, and faical trauma

      Occlusion in implant dentistry:
         Basic level

      1. Occlusion in natural teeth

        1. Ideal occlusion

        2. Occlusal schemes

        3. Mutually protected occlusion

      1. Occlusion in implant restorations

        1. Occlusal guidelines for different situations: Single implant vs multi-unit vs full mouth rehabilitation

        2. Implant-protected-occlusion

      2. Occlusal stability and TMJ stability

         Intermediate level

      1. Difference between teeth and implants in occlusion

      2. Considerations before implant restorations

      3. Assessment of TMJ before implant restorations

      4. Orthodontics following TMJ surgery

      5. Stable occlusion and the use of soft splint

      6. Comparison betweenReposition splint, herbst and twin-block

      7. Anterior repositioning appliancesand bone regeneration

      8. Orthognathic interventions

      9. Complications of compromised design in occlusion and its prevention

      10. Jaw registration: procedures and techniques

      11. Temporomandibular joints – bruxists and myofascial pain

      1. Maintenance around implants including oral hygiene instruction

      2. Marginal Bone Changes: Theories and their related evidence

      3. Peri-implant disease – Prevention, diagnosis, management and their evidence

      4. Prosthetic failures

      5. Complications: short and long term

      6. Communciation with the patient

Curriculum of the International Implant Dentistry & Prosthodontics Program

Training and Examination:

Training and Examination Centre in Implant and Prosthetic Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and the Ninth People’s Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University

Head: Prof. Wu Yi Qun

Clinical Bases

Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong

Head: Prof. Deng Yong Qiang

Shenzhen Luohu People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong

Head: Prof. Muhetaer Huojia

Application

Applicants will be required to provide a current curriculum vitae and covering letter in support of their application. The prerequisite for acceptance on the program is a registrable qualification/license to practice dentistry.