The Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery Part 1 is administered by the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (Edinburgh, England, Glasgow, and Ireland). It tests basic and applied dental sciences at the level of a recently qualified dentist — the scientific knowledge that underpins clinical dental practice rather than clinical management itself.
The exam contains 150 SBA questions delivered in three hours, with three sittings per year — typically January, May, and October.
How MFDS Part 1 differs from ORE Part 1
MFDS Part 1 is a sciences exam. ORE Part 1 is a clinical knowledge exam. While there is content overlap, the emphasis is different. MFDS Part 1 tests anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, microbiology, and dental materials at a level of detail that expects you to understand mechanisms rather than just management algorithms. If ORE Part 1 asks how to manage a periapical abscess, MFDS Part 1 asks about the pathological process of periapical granuloma formation, the microbiology of the polymicrobial infection, and the pharmacokinetics of the antibiotic you would prescribe.
This distinction matters for revision strategy. MFDS Part 1 rewards textbook-depth understanding of dental sciences, not clinical pattern recognition.
Topic weighting
Head and neck anatomy is the single largest domain at approximately 18 per cent. This covers cranial nerve anatomy (with particular focus on the trigeminal and facial nerves), the anatomy of the infratemporal and pterygopalatine fossae, the blood supply to the face and oral cavity, dental anatomy (tooth morphology, root canal anatomy), and embryology (pharyngeal arch derivatives, palate development, tooth development stages). Anatomy is a high-yield, memorisation-heavy topic — the facts are fixed and the questions are precise.
Oral pathology accounts for roughly 14 per cent — odontogenic cysts (classification, histological features), odontogenic and non-odontogenic tumours (ameloblastoma, odontoma, pleomorphic adenoma), inflammatory conditions, and developmental anomalies. Pharmacology accounts for 12 per cent — local anaesthetic pharmacology (mechanism, maximum doses, vasoconstrictors, toxicity), analgesic pharmacology (paracetamol, NSAIDs, opioids), antibiotic prescribing in dentistry, sedation pharmacology, and drug interactions relevant to dental practice.
Dental materials account for 10 per cent — composition, properties, and clinical applications of composites, glass ionomers, impression materials, cements, and alloys. Physiology accounts for 10 per cent — salivary physiology, pain physiology, haemostasis, and bone healing. Microbiology accounts for 8 per cent — oral flora, caries microbiology, periodontal microbiology, and cross-infection control.
Human disease and its implications for dental management accounts for 10 per cent — cardiovascular disease, bleeding disorders, diabetes, immunosuppression, and bisphosphonate therapy. Oral medicine, radiology, ethics, and general dental practice principles make up the remaining questions.
Revision strategy
Three months of focused revision. Start with anatomy — it is the largest domain, the content is fixed and memorisable, and anatomy questions are free marks once you have committed the facts to memory. Spend weeks one to three on head and neck anatomy and dental anatomy. Weeks four to six should cover oral pathology and pharmacology. Weeks seven to nine should cover dental materials, microbiology, and physiology. Weeks ten to twelve should be dedicated to human disease, mock exams, and weak-area revision.
The standard textbooks are Cawson's Essentials of Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine, Scully's Medical Problems in Dentistry, and any head and neck anatomy atlas. Use question bank practice to direct your reading — attempting questions before reading the relevant chapter is more effective than reading first and answering later.
iatroX's MFDS Part 1 bank contains over 1,500 questions covering all domains at the correct weighting. Anatomy and oral pathology questions are mapped to standard dental science textbooks. The adaptive algorithm identifies your weakest science domains and shifts revision focus accordingly. All included at £29 per month or £99 per year — the same subscription covers ORE Part 1, NDEB AFK, and every other exam on the platform.