Metadata
Title
Postgraduate research opportunities A-Z
Category
graduate
UUID
a2559ff865554e7c969d0fa551ac06c1
Source URL
https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/dentistry/
Parent URL
https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/
Crawl Time
2026-03-11T05:44:58+00:00
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Postgraduate research opportunities A-Z

Source: https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/dentistry/ Parent: https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/

Postgraduate research

Dentistry (Community Oral Health & Oral Sciences) PhD/MSc (Research)

The Glasgow Dental School Clinical Research Facility aims to improve oral and general health by advancing new and better ways of preventing and treating disease. We strive for our research to have a significant positive impact in the local community and the wider world.

Apply now

Research projects

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Evaluating the reach and impact of the Childsmile programme: Scotland’s national child oral health improvement programme

Supervisors: Professor Andrea Sherriff, Dr Marie Kotzur, Professor David Conway

Background: Child oral health in Scotland has improved over the last two decades however inequalities remain large with 41.6% of children in the most deprived areas having tooth decay compared to 14.2% in the least deprived areas. In addition, children with educational additional support needs, those who have been care experienced and children from some minority ethnic groups experience greater levels of tooth decay than their peers.

The project: The Childsmile programme (https://www.childsmile.nhs.scot/), funded by the Scottish Government, aims to improve child oral health, and reduce inequalities through universal and targeted interventions within the home, educational settings, dental practices, and the wider community. Childsmile is a complex intervention and has been evaluated by the Childsmile Evaluation and Research Team within Glasgow University since it’s inception in 2006 and national roll out in 2011 (https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/dental/research/childoralhealthchildsmile/). The evaluation comprises both an outcome evaluation (Does it work?) and a process evaluation (For whom; Under what circumstances?) supported by a team of dental public health experts, statisticians, epidemiologists, and behavioural scientists. The outcome evaluation uses our Child Oral Health Data Lab which has linked health and education records of over 1 million children in Scotland to their Childsmile records and uses novel approaches to answer key research questions around the reach and impact of the programme. Findings from this work are fed back to the programme to adapt existing interventions or implement new interventions using novel methods from Implementation Science.

The scope of the Childsmile outcome evaluation is wide and there are many aspects of the programme that are still to be evaluated. We would welcome enquiries from individuals interested in public health improvement programmes, their evaluation and implementation, with a background in public health, statistics, epidemiology, or behavioural sciences to join our group of PhD students. Methods will include: Secondary Analysis of big data using natural experimental approaches; Qualitative Research methods and Mixed Methods.

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Inequalities in head and neck cancer (epidemiology and qualitative/mixed-methods research)

Supervisors: Professor David Conway, Dr Marie Kotzur, Professor Andrea Sherriff

Project description: The research focused on understanding and addressing inequalities in head and neck cancer across the cancer continuum. The research could involve descriptive/analytical epidemiological analyses exploring aspects of the disease burden and trends or risk factors or care pathways/outcomes for head and neck cancer and its subsites. Epidemiological methods would be employed on secondary analysis of a range of potential routine administrative datasets and observational studies from Scotland, UK, or globally. The project will be adapted to focus on a specific aspect of inequalities in head and neck cancer across the cancer continuum.

A mixed methods approach could also be undertaken. Complementary qualitative methods could be used to gain an in-depth understanding of the above data via with cancer patients and/or cancer survivors, and healthcare systems research. Current behavioural science/ health psychology theories of behaviour and/or of illness will be used to guide the analysis.\ \ Via the Masters in Public Health, candidates will gain training in statistics/epidemiology, public health, and qualitative research – with the specific taught programme tailored to the specific nature of the PhD project(s) planned.

References

  1. Vaccarella S, Lortet-Tieulent J, Saracci R, Conway DI, Straif K, Wild CP. Reducing social inequalities in cancer: evidence and priorities for research. IARC Scientific Publication No.168. World Health Organisation, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon 2019.

Overview

The University of Glasgow has been ranked first in the UK for Dentistry in the Complete University Guide 2021.

Our School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing has a thriving community of postgraduate research students, from both the United Kingdom and overseas. The majority of our research students undertake PhD programmes within our two research groups:

Our PhD students come from a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical backgrounds including:

We engage in knowledge exchange with policymakers, practitioners, researchers, industry and the public to ensure that policies and practices are based on evidence, and effectively translated into practice.

Specific areas of interest include:

Study options

PhD

Individual research projects are tailored around the expertise of principal investigators.

MSc (Research)

Entry requirements

A 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent.

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

Common equivalent English language qualifications for entry to this programme

TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

Tests taken up to 20 January 2026

Tests taken from 21 January 2026

Pearsons PTE Academic

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

Oxford ELLT

LanguageCert Academic SELT

Password Skills Plus

Trinity College Tests

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

Alternatives to English Language qualification

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

Fees and funding

Fees

2026/27

Prices are based on the annual fee for full-time study. Fees for part-time study are half the full-time fee.

Irish nationals who are living in the Common Travel Area of the UK, EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status, and Internationals with Indefinite Leave to remain status can also qualify for home fee status.

Alumni discount

We offer a 20% discount to our alumni on all Postgraduate Research and full Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes. This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Study Abroad programme, Exchange programme, International Summer School or Erasmus programme with us. This discount can be awarded alongside most University scholarships. No additional application is required.

Possible additional fees

Depending on the nature of the research project, some students will be expected to pay a bench fee (also known as research support costs) to cover additional costs. The exact amount will be provided in the offer letter.

Sanctuary Scholarship

The University of Glasgow Sanctuary Scholarship has been created to support applicants with Refugee or Asylum Seeker status who are currently living in the UK.

Support

The College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences Graduate School provides a vibrant, supportive and stimulating environment for all our postgraduate students. We aim to provide excellent support for our postgraduates through dedicated postgraduate convenors, highly trained supervisors and pastoral support for each student.\  \ Our overarching aim is to provide a research training environment that includes:

Our excellent facilities and dedicated staff will equip you with training complementary to a range of career options, and you can tailor your study pathway to the precise aspects that suit your objectives.

How to apply

Identify potential supervisors

All postgraduate research students are allocated a supervisor who will act as the main source of academic support and research mentoring. You must identify a potential supervisor supervisor from the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences and contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply. Please note, even if you have spoken to an academic staff member about your proposal you still need to submit an online application form.

Supervisor search

Research projects

If you are interested in a research project listed above, please include the title on your application.

Gather your documents

Before applying please make sure you gather the following supporting documentation:

  1. Final or current degree transcripts including grades (and an official translation, if needed) – scanned copy in colour of the original document.
  2. Degree certificates (and an official translation, if needed): scanned copy in colour of the original document.
  3. Two references on headed paper and signed by the referee. One must be academic, the other can be academic or professional. References may be uploadedas part of the application form or you may enter your referees' contact details on the application form. We will then email your referee and notify you when we receive the reference.
  4. MVLS cover letter must be completed and uploaded with a copy of your CV.

Apply now

Contact us

If you require assistance before you apply: mvls-gradschool@glasgow.ac.uk

After you have submitted your application: Admissions Enquiries form

Our research environment

Induction

Postgraduate researcher blogs