GDC ORE Part 1 Syllabus — All 10 Topics Explained (2026)

Anatomy is consistently one of the highest-yield areas in the ORE Part 1 and one of the areas where candidates lose the most marks. The examination focuses heavily on the surgical and clinical anatomy of the head and neck rather than lower limb or trunk anatomy — so do not waste time revising content that will not appear in this exam.

Key areas include the cranial nerve supply to teeth and oral structures (particularly the trigeminal nerve — ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular divisions — and its branches including the inferior alveolar, lingual, buccal, and long buccal nerves), the facial nerve and its course through the parotid gland, the hypoglossal nerve, and the chorda tympani. The infratemporal fossa and its contents (medial and lateral pterygoid muscles, maxillary artery and its branches, mandibular nerve branches) generate multiple questions in most sittings.

The temporomandibular joint is another reliable high-yield area — candidates should know the ligaments (sphenomandibular, stylomandibular, lateral temporomandibular), the disc and its attachments, movements and muscles involved, blood supply, and innervation. The blood supply of the face (branches of the external carotid artery and their territories) and lymphatic drainage of the head and neck are also regularly tested.

This area covers a broad range of physiological systems. The ORE Part 1 tests physiology at a level deeper than clinical familiarity — candidates need to understand mechanisms, not just facts. The cardiovascular system is heavily tested: the cardiac cycle, cardiac output and its determinants, regulation of blood pressure (baroreceptors, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system), and haemoglobin and oxygen transport are all common topics.

Nerve physiology — particularly the action potential, saltatory conduction, synaptic transmission, and neurotransmitters — is highly relevant both as a standalone topic and in the context of local anaesthetic mechanisms. Renal physiology (glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, acid-base balance, and the effect of renal impairment on drug dosing) is also regularly tested. From biochemistry, candidates should be familiar with collagen synthesis (particularly as it relates to vitamin C deficiency and wound healing), haem synthesis and porphyrins, and basic enzyme kinetics.

Microbiology questions in the ORE Part 1 cover both general and specifically dental microbiology. The oral microbiome and its role in dental caries and periodontal disease generates frequent questions — candidates should know the specific organisms involved: Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus acidophilus in caries, and Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans in periodontal disease. Plaque formation, biofilm development, and the role of sucrose in acid production are also commonly tested.

From the infection control side, candidates need a thorough understanding of sterilisation methods (autoclaving — temperature, pressure, time requirements), disinfection versus sterilisation, prion diseases and their special requirements, viral hepatitis (particularly hepatitis B, C, and D — modes of transmission, serological markers, implications for dental practice), and HIV/AIDS in the dental setting.

Immunology questions focus on the innate and adaptive immune responses, types of hypersensitivity (Types I–IV — be able to give dental examples of each), and the complement system. Immunoglobulin classes and their functions are reliably tested.

Pathology is one of the most question-dense areas of the ORE Part 1 and one where a systematic approach pays enormous dividends. Inflammation — its definition, cardinal signs, vascular changes (vasoconstriction then vasodilation, increased permeability), cellular events (margination, rolling, adhesion, emigration of neutrophils), and chemical mediators (histamine, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, interleukins, complement) — is virtually guaranteed to produce at least several questions in every sitting.

Chronic inflammation and its cellular composition (lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, epithelioid cells, Langhans giant cells) should be thoroughly understood, as should granulomatous inflammation and common causes (tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, Crohn's disease, foreign body reaction). Wound healing — primary versus secondary intention, the phases (haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, remodelling), specific cell types and growth factors involved, and factors that impair healing — is another reliable source of questions.

From oral pathology, candidates should know the common jaw cysts (dentigerous, radicular, odontogenic keratocyst/OKC — especially its recurrence rate and syndromic associations, lateral periodontal cyst), oral precancerous lesions (leukoplakia, erythroplakia), oral squamous cell carcinoma (risk factors, commonest sites, staging), and common soft tissue lesions (fibrous epulis, pyogenic granuloma, peripheral giant cell granuloma).

This knowledge area covers systemic diseases with direct relevance to dental practice. Questions typically present a patient with a known medical condition and ask what the implications are for their dental management, or ask about the pathophysiology of the condition itself.

The most commonly tested conditions are cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction — including the ECG changes and cardiac enzymes; angina — stable vs unstable; hypertension and its treatment; infective endocarditis and antibiotic prophylaxis, noting the current NICE guidelines which do not routinely recommend prophylaxis), respiratory diseases (asthma — emergency management; COPD), haematological disorders (types of anaemia and their causes, leukaemia, bleeding disorders including haemophilia A and B and von Willebrand disease), and endocrine conditions (diabetes mellitus — Type 1 vs Type 2, management, hypoglycaemia emergency).

Liver disease is increasingly tested, particularly in the context of its effects on drug metabolism, clotting factors, and the implications for dental treatment in patients with cirrhosis. Renal failure and its effects on drug prescribing are also commonly examined.

Pharmacology is widely regarded as the most difficult paper in the ORE Part 1 and generates the highest density of questions requiring precise recall. The examination tests both the pharmacological principles (mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions) and their specific application in dentistry.

Local anaesthetics deserve the most revision time in this topic. You must know: the mechanism of action (voltage-gated Na+ channel blockade), the agents used in UK dentistry and their vasoconstrictors (lignocaine 2% with 1:80,000 adrenaline; articaine 4% with 1:100,000 adrenaline; bupivacaine 0.5% with 1:200,000 adrenaline; prilocaine 3% with felypressin), maximum safe doses in mg and mg/kg for adults and children, and specific contraindications (articaine should not be used for inferior dental blocks due to risk of paraesthesia; prilocaine causes methaemoglobinaemia and should be avoided in pregnancy and in patients on oxidising agents).

Antibiotics form the second major section: amoxicillin (broad-spectrum penicillin, mechanism: inhibit cell wall synthesis, coverage, indications), metronidazole (anaerobes, interactions with alcohol and warfarin), clindamycin (narrow-spectrum, MRSA-active, pseudomembranous colitis risk), erythromycin (macrolide, CYP450 inhibitor, interactions). Analgesics: NSAIDs (mechanism — COX inhibition, gastric protection, renal effects, contraindications in pregnancy and peptic ulcer disease), paracetamol (safe in pregnancy, hepatotoxicity in overdose, N-acetylcysteine antidote), opioids (mechanism, side effects, naloxone reversal).

Dental Materials Science is one of the more accessible areas for candidates from strong undergraduate backgrounds, but it requires specific technical knowledge that clinical experience alone does not provide. The examination tests the composition, setting reactions, properties, and clinical applications of materials rather than simply how to use them.

Composite resins: composition (resin matrix — bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA), diluent monomers; inorganic filler particles — silica, quartz, lithium aluminium silicate glass; coupling agent — silane), polymerisation shrinkage and how to minimise it (incremental placement), types of composites by filler particle size, and photoinitiators (camphorquinone). Glass ionomer cements: conventional GIC (polyacrylic acid + fluoroaluminosilicate glass — acid-base setting reaction, fluoride release, adhesion to enamel and dentine), resin-modified GIC (light-cured component added). Zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) cements: eugenol's obtundant and pulp-irritating effects. Impression materials: classification (elastic vs non-elastic; irreversible vs reversible), alginate (irreversible hydrocolloid — sodium alginate + calcium sulphate), polyvinylsiloxane (addition silicone — highest accuracy, best dimensional stability), polyether (hydrophilic, accurate but stiff).

Oral Biology covers the development and biology of the oral tissues. Tooth development — amelogenesis (from the inner enamel epithelium, producing ameloblasts), dentinogenesis (from the dental papilla, producing odontoblasts), cementogenesis (from the dental follicle, producing cementoblasts), and the stages of crown and root formation — generates reliable questions. Tooth eruption timings (both deciduous and permanent dentitions) and the sequence of shedding are commonly tested.

The periodontal ligament (PDL) is another high-yield area: its fibre groups (alveolar crest, horizontal, oblique, apical, interradicular), cell types (fibroblasts, osteoblasts, cementoblasts, epithelial cell rests of Malassez), the principal fibres (Sharpey's fibres embedded in cementum and alveolar bone), and PDL width and how it changes with load.

Saliva composition and function (enzymes — amylase, lysozyme; proteins — mucins, immunoglobulin A, lactoferrin; buffers — bicarbonate), the role of saliva in caries prevention, and xerostomia and its causes (medications, Sjögren's syndrome, radiotherapy) should be thoroughly understood. Dental caries pathology — the critical pH (5.5 for enamel), the Stephan curve, remineralisation, fluoride mechanisms — is also regularly tested.

Radiology questions in the ORE Part 1 cover both the physics of X-ray production and the legislation governing radiological practice in the UK. The physics section includes X-ray production (electron deceleration in the anode producing Bremsstrahlung radiation; characteristic radiation), the properties of X-rays (electromagnetic radiation, travel at speed of light, ionising, penetrating), factors affecting image quality (contrast, density, sharpness, distortion), and types of radiograph (periapical, bitewing, occlusal, panoramic/OPG, CBCT).

The legislative component covers the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) 2017 and the Ionising Radiations Regulations (IRR) 2017. Candidates should know the roles defined by IR(ME)R: referrer, practitioner, and operator. The justification and optimisation principles (ALARP — as low as reasonably practicable) are fundamental. Dose quantities (effective dose in millisieverts; the effective dose for a bitewing is approximately 0.005 mSv; for an OPG approximately 0.01 mSv; for dental CBCT 0.03–0.5 mSv depending on field size) should be memorised. Quality assurance in radiology — reference doses, dose reference levels — is also examined.

This knowledge area covers the ethical, legal, and communication aspects of UK dental practice. It is an area that many candidates from overseas backgrounds underestimate, partly because it is highly UK-specific — the legislation, guidance documents, and case law that determine how dentistry is practised in England and Wales differ significantly from those in other countries.

Informed consent is one of the most examined topics: the landmark Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] Supreme Court decision fundamentally changed the legal standard for consent in the UK, shifting from a professional standard (what a reasonable doctor would disclose) to a patient standard (what a reasonable patient would want to know). Candidates must understand its implications. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 principles — the five statutory principles, the two-stage capacity test, best interests decision-making — are regularly tested, as is Gillick competence (children under 16 who can demonstrate sufficient understanding to consent) and Fraser guidelines (specifically applicable to contraceptive advice).

GDC Standards for the Dental Team (the nine principles), requirements for clinical record-keeping, and cross-infection control protocols under HTM 01-05 guidance are all within scope. Medical emergency management — the ABCDE approach, specific emergency management of anaphylaxis (adrenaline IM), cardiac arrest (CPR/AED protocols), hypoglycaemia (oral glucose or IM glucagon), and asthma (salbutamol inhaler) — is regularly tested and clinically important.