Dental Officer

NHS; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare provider in Canterbury is seeking a full-time dental professional to provide tier 2 dental care, including treatment under sedation. The role requires significant experience in dentistry and a full UK driving license. This position offers opportunities to work across multiple locations, including prisons and mobile units, ensuring diverse patient care responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Level 1 dentistry, including routine restorations and extractions.
• Experience delivering dental care in mobile and domiciliary settings is a plus.
• Ability to promote GDC standards within the clinical team.

Responsibilities

• Provide tier 2 level dental care for paediatric and special care patients.
• Remote triaging for dental patients in pain.
• Involve patients in their care and treatment.

Skills

Provision of dental care under inhalation sedation

Enhanced clinical skills

Communication skills

Education

Full registration with the UK General Dental Council

Relevant postgraduate dental qualification

Job description

Overview

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust Dental Services holds several NHS contracts and is commissioned to provide dentistry and specialised referral services in Community Dental Services and prison dentistry, with general anaesthetic sessions at two hospitals (Kent and Canterbury Hospital and William Harvey Hospital).

It also provides local authority contracts to deliver oral health promotion and non-commissioned services including training and dental engineering.

The range of dental services includes Sedation, Special Care, Paediatric Dentistry, General Anaesthetics, Periodontology, Geriodontology, Domiciliary, Epidemiology, Oral Health Education, routine and emergency dental care.

This is a full-time post 37.5 hours per week. You will be working in at least one other site away from the base clinic. The other sites will include other CDS clinics, prison, mobile unit and patients\' homes (Domiciliary).

Responsibilities

• To provide tier 2 level dental care for paediatric and special care patients who have been referred into the service.
• Remote triaging for dental patients in pain and patients on waiting lists as directed by the clinical director.
• To provide dental treatment under inhalation sedation (intravenous sedation if required by service need) and general anaesthetic.
• To provide dental treatment at HMP prison sites, mobile dental units and domiciliary care as required by service need.
• Involve patients in their care and treatment. Offer information, support and motivation to patients regarding oral health, diet and smoking.
• To work with other healthcare professionals and stakeholders to provide a seamless care package for KCHFT dental patients.
• Monitor the application of clinical governance practice including dental nurse standards, infection control and cross infection.
• Participate in audits as directed by senior management or the Kent and London Quality Group (DCQG).
• Comply with Dental Practice Inspections as organised through the Area teams, and ensure delivery of all CQC outcomes for patient care.

About us

Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we\'ve got a passion for delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive, Excellent.

We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves in being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.

We ask for information about your protected characteristics on our application forms. This isn\'t visible to anyone involved with shortlisting or interviewing you, except when you choose to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme due to disability. Short listers will see two ticks alongside your application to ensure they apply the principles of the scheme to your submission.

The data we collect helps us to ensure we are attracting diversity in our applicants, that all our colleagues have equitable access to career opportunities and supports us on our journey to being a Great Place to Work.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won\'t involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We\'ll support you to work flexibly in a way that will suits us both.

See where you can go with KCHFT career pathways.

Details

• Date posted: 17 September 2025
• Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
• Grade: Doctor - other
• Salary: £52,532 to £78,798 a year per annum
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 846-7488593-TS
• Job locations: Aylesham Health Centre, Aylesham, CT3 3BB

Job description and responsibilities

As a community Trust many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. You will be asked to confirm you have a full UK driving licence where driving is a requirement of the role. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment; if you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team to support you further.

The job description and person specification provides the information you need about this role. Please review the criteria and demonstrate in your application how you meet them. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should be true and accurate.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles; to improve your chances please apply as soon as possible as a vacancy may close early if there is high interest.

We strongly encourage colleagues who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated for safety of colleagues and patients.

Find out more about the community difference here. Good luck! We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Essential: Full registration with the UK General Dental Council, with performer number and not under any restrictions.
• Desirable: Relevant postgraduate dental qualification

Experience

• Essential: Significant experience and demonstration of competency in Level 1 dentistry (e.g. routine restorations and extractions, provision of partial and full dentures, stainless steel crown using the Hall Technique, etc.).
• Desirable: Experience of delivering dental care in a range of service settings such as mobile dental unit or domiciliary settings.

Skills and Abilities

• Essential: Provision of dental care under inhalation sedation.
• Desirable: Provision of dental care under intravenous sedation / general anaesthetic.
• Essential: Enhanced clinical skills to support delivery of services in the service specification.
• Desirable: Communication skills to build partnerships with stakeholders outside the clinical environment.

Personal Attributes

• Essential: Compliance with GDC standards and ability to promote these standards within the clinical team.
• Desirable: Interest in leading projects and service development.
• Essential: Involvement in audit, appraisal and peer review.
• Desirable: Interest in clinical research.
• Essential: Full UK driving licence and understanding responsibilities regarding performance issues.

Management and Leadership

• Essential: Ability to lead and manage the immediate clinical environment and team.
• Desirable: Experience in teaching/clinical supervision.

Other information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a DBS check.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered. For details see UK Visas and Immigration information. Guidance on overseas criminal records checks is available.

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. See NHS Careers for details.

Employer details

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Aylesham Health Centre, Aylesham, CT3 3BB