The education system for dentists in Poland

“A young individual wishing to enter the dentistry profession should graduate from high school with excellent grades, because there is a great number of candidates for this major every year," stresses Anna Lella, the vice-president of the Supreme Medical Council.

Pursuant to the Act on the profession of physician and dentist dated 5th December 1996, a dentist is authorised to treat diseases of teeth, the oral cavity, the facial skeleton area and adjoining areas.

New regulations

This legislative act was amended in 2011. The new regulations changed the medical education system, which also covers dentists.

The new regulations modified the curriculum for individuals who started their education after 31st September of 2012. The graduate internship was abolished, whereas the National Exam for Physicians and Dentists (LDEP), taken after the internship, was replaced with the Final Exam for Physicians and Dentists. It can be taken during the fifth year of the studies by individuals who do not yet hold a diploma. The format of the exam, i.e. several hundred multiple-choice test questions, remained unchanged.

According to Anna Lella, the practical aspect of medical and dentistry studies is very important.

Due to the abolition of the graduate internship, which was mandatory for the graduates of medical universities, the curriculum was changed to provide all students with as much practice as possible during the five years of education. The curriculum includes a two-semester practical programme during the fifth year.

Development opportunities for dentists

After graduating from dentistry, young dentists can choose specialisation:

• dental surgery;
• oral and maxillofacial surgery;
• orthodontics;
• periodontology;
• dental prosthetics;
• child dentistry;
• preventive dentistry with endodontics;
• public health;
• epidemiology.

Depending on the type, the specialisation takes from three to six years.