European dentists discuss dental qualifications, profile of the dentist of the future, express concern on direct-to-consumer orthodontics

On 17 November 2023, the Council of European Dentists (CED) Member, Affiliate Member and Observer associations met in Brussels, Belgium for their biannual General Meeting under the chairmanship of CED President Dr. Freddie Sloth-Lisbjerg.

During the meeting, the CED members were addressed by Mr Noa Jankovic, Deputy Executive Director, Public Policy & Branding for the Danish Dental Association. Mr Jankovic shared his expertise and experience in relation to advocacy and lobbying on priority issues for the dental profession, at the EU and national level alike.

European Dental Students’ Association representatives also shared their activities in the past year and presented their future initiatives on education and policy.

The role of dentists in relation to the MDR must be respected:

During its General Meeting, the CED adopted a Statement on Dentistry and the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) 2017/745. The MDR is an essential piece of legislation for ensuring high-quality health care and a cornerstone of patient safety across Europe. Nevertheless, several years into the implementation of the MDR, there are numerous discrepancies and variations in interpretation of the role of dentists in relation to dental medical devices. This brief statement aims to outline and describe the nature of the dental practice, the dental treatment and dental medical devices as part of it.

Through this text, the Council of European Dentists wishes to highlight the importance of respecting the role of dentists as, first and foremost, healthcare providers that contribute to maintaining and promoting better public health across Europe. The dental profession remains firmly committed to the implementation of the MDR and its goal of ensuring optimal patient safety across Member States.

Access the Statement here.

Direct-to-consumer orthodontics: a word of caution

The CED members also adopted a CED Position on ‘Direct to Consumer’ Orthodontics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Dentistry. With this paper, the CED would like to outline its main concerns and recommendations in relation to “do it yourself” / “direct to consumer” (DIY/DTC) dentistry, and in particular DIY/DTC orthodontics, and the consequences that Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have in this area in the near future.

The document was produced because there is an increased marketing of DIY/DTC orthodontics, potentially placing patients at risk since the procedure does not involve a comprehensive orthodontic diagnosis and treatment progress is not adequately supervised by a qualified dentist and/or specialist orthodontist. This is becoming an issue of concern in different countries and also interplays with the ongoing developments in EU legislation on eHealth and AI.

Access the Statement here.

CED Position on the recognition of dental qualifications acquired in third countries

The Position was adopted by the GM participants as well. The document was developed based on the results of the CED survey on the topic as evidence on the process of qualifications recognition of dentists who received their diplomas in in third countries and the satisfaction of the minimum training requirements under the Professional Qualifications Directive (PQD) in different CED member countries.

Through the Position, the CED provides policy recommendations, such as rigorous scrutiny of third country qualifications, consistent recognition process, alignment with European standards when providing simplified or expedited recognition process and clear language requirements. Moreover, the document aims to be used in the CED lobbying work on the European Commission’s recommendation proposal regarding the recognition of third country nationals.

Access the Position here.

CED updated Resolution on the Profile of the Dentist of the Future – key driving forces in dentistry

In its aim to ensure the up-to-date status of its policy papers, the CED General Meeting adopted the proposed updated Resolution on the Profile of the Dentist of the Future.

The document reflects the profession’s latest trends and developments and includes principles of patient safety and awareness of their needs, in light of their complex medical profiles, as well as their relationship of trust with dentists. Moreover, the need for collaboration with other medical professionals and professions is mentioned and prevention is emphasized as a core principle to be followed and promoted by dentists.

Access the updated Resolution here.

CED updated Statement on Specialist Dentists

The GM participants adopted the CED updated Statement on dental specialties, which emphasizes the increasing specialization of the profession, while keeping the CED position on the topic neutral.

Access the updated Statement here.

The Council of European Dentists (CED) is a European not-for-profit association representing over 340,000 dental practitioners across Europe through 33 national dental associations and chambers in 31 European countries. Established in 1961 to advise the European Commission on matters relating to the dental profession, the CED aims to promote high standards on oral healthcare and dentistry with effective patient-safety centred professional practice, and to contribute to safeguarding the protection of public health. The CED is registered in the Transparency Register with the ID number 4885579968-84.

For more information contact:

CED Brussels Office

Tel: + 32 2 736 34 29

ced@cedentists.eu

http://www.cedentists.eu