An All-you-need-to-know Guide For Dentists Who Want To Work In Europe

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 05 Dec 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Council of European Dentists (CED) has just published a comprehensive guide on the training and work requirements for dentists and other dental professionals who want to practise in other EU member states.

The latest edition of the EU Manual of Dental Practice describes the legal and ethical regulations, dental training requirements, oral health systems and the organisation of dental practice in 32 European (EU and EEA) countries, including Croatia, which is due to join the EU next year.

The practising arrangements, the regulatory frameworks and systems within which dentists work in the respective countries are compared. There is also country specific information on the dental specialities that are recognised, along with details of where such training is available and duration.

The guide also contains information on other dental care professionals, with a list of those which are recognised, their training, the procedures they are allowed to carry out, and the rules within which they can legally practise.

Commenting on the new guide, the main author of the Manual, Dr Anthony S Kravitz said:

"There has been considerable interest from dentists and government officials about the organisation of dentistry in the EU and we believe this guide addresses all the professional issues that dentists need to take on board to make the move to practise in another country as hassle-free as possible."

1. The CED was established in the early 1960s. With an office in Brussels, it represents the dental associations in the EU and EEA.

2. The CED's primary task has been to assist the European Commission (EC) to develop the Dental Directives since 1975. The committee and member associations work closely with the European institutions and are consulted by the EC on health matters. http://www.eudental.eu/

3. This edition of the Manual is 406 pages long and is published by the CED in English. Editions in French and German may be available at a later date. The Manual will initially be published on the internet and downloadable free from:

http://www.eudental.eu/index.php?ID=2746

It is also available from the British Dental Association's website.

4. The members of the CED are the dental associations of the 27 countries of the EU, 3 countries of the EEA, Croatia and Switzerland. The Manual contains dental demographic and practice information about all these countries.

5. Dr Anthony S Kravitz OBE and managing author Professor Elizabeth T Treasure are based in the Dental Public Health Unit at the Cardiff Dental School.

6. The 2008 edition also contains (for the first time) information about tooth whitening, ionising radiation rules and hazardous waste regulations, as well as data on caries levels (in children), edentulousness and fluoridation.

7. The British Dental Association (BDA) is the professional association for dentists in the UK. It represents over 20,000 dentists working in general practice, in community and hospital settings, in academia and research, and in the armed forces. It is a member of the Council of European Dentists.

Carmel McHenry
Head of Communications
British Dental Association
http://www.bda.org