Undergraduate education and training of dentists in the EU are generally provided in accordance with the requirements established by the Professional Qualifications Directive and graduates holding a diploma are entitled to practise dentistry. However, an increasing number of EU countries are implementing different systems of vocational training for new dental graduates to improve their competence and self-confidence, help them to implement their theoretical knowledge and equip them with further clinical and managerial experience required for independent (private or public) general dental practice.
In a resolution, useful particularly for those countries that might be considering development of a vocational training programme for dentists or changes to an existing programme, CED members set out aims and objectives of vocational training, knowledge, skills and competences to be achieved at the end of vocational training, structure of vocational training programmes and political recommendations. Vocational training is considered to be a particularly important tool for deepening the understanding of professional ethics in dental practice setting and for strengthening practical skills of graduates.
The CED calls on national governments to acknowledge the paramount importance of structured vocational training programmes in dentistry and recommends that the decision to introduce or remove vocational training should not be taken on purely economic considerations.