MFDS Jan (2026)

What is the MFDS ?

The Diploma of Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery

(MFDS)is an internationally recognized quallfication that

demonstrates competence in basic postgraduate training.

The exam syllabus is typically based on the Dental

Foundation Training Curriculum.

The exam is associated with three main colleges:

·The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

·The Royal College of Surgeons of England

·The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow(RCPSG)

Upon passing the exam,the candidate is entitled to become a

member of one of these colleges.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OFGLASGOW

Who is the MFDS For?

Any qualified dentist can take the MFDS from the first year

post-qualification.It helps demonstrate knowledge and career

progression.

What is the structure OFTHE MFDS?

The exam is divided into Part I and Part 2.Currently,Part l is

mainly being taken online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PART1

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

&RSPSG

·180 Single Best Answer(SBA)questions

in three hours

Royal College of Surgeons of England

·150 SBAs within three hours

Part 1 aims to assess your problem-solv-

ing skills,evaluation of evidence,and

knowledge of up-to-date guidelines and

theory.

Examples of content include:

·Anxiety control measures

·Periodontitis management

·Oral medicine

.Oral surgery

·Restoration of teeth

·Ethics

·Dental development

The questions are each worth one mark,

and there is no

negative marking.

Furthermore,all questions carry equal

marks.

Part 2 

is an Objective Structured Clinical

Examination (OSCE).The OSCE is designed

to test your clinical competence in real-life

clinical scenarios.Your communication

skills will also be assessed,along with your

knowledge and management of common

conditions/presentations.

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh &

RSPSG

·10 OSCE stations along with rest stations

Royal College of Surgeons of England

·14 OSCE stations,usually of which ll are

assessed,and others are rest stations

Some of the broad topics

covered in Part 2 include:

.History-taking

·Explaining diagnoses and treatment planning

·Interpreting information

·Breaking bad news

·Managing complaints or anxiety

There is no fixed ‘pass mark for every year,

so comparison is difficult.There is a

five-year timeframe to complete both

parts of the exam.You may attempt Part 1

a maximum of six times and Part 2 a

maximum of four times.Exam results are

usually released around 3 weeks after the

exam .