Undergraduate dental implantology education in the United Kingdom – looking to the past to plan for the future

Dental implantology has traditionally been a postgraduate subject; however, as dental implants become an increasingly popular tooth replacement option for dentists and patients, there is a growing need for newly graduated dentists to be familiar with core aspects of implant dentistry. Furthermore, as the field of implant dentistry advances, so has the breadth of treatment indications and complexity. Therefore, not only are there more implant patients, there are more complex implant patients in the community. The care of implants and treatment of peri-implant tissues falls within the scope of the general dental practitioner (GDP), and it is widely considered that GDPs have a duty of care to monitor and maintain dental implants. It is important that undergraduate dental education reflects these evolutions in clinical dentistry to equip newly graduated dentists with the competencies to identify, monitor and maintain dental implants. In recognition of the continuing challenges concerning the delivery of undergraduate dental implant education in the UK and Ireland, this article aims to reflect on progress over the past 40 years, examine its status today and identify the future education priorities to be addressed.