No extra dentist training places, despite growing shortage
Education minister Rianne Letschert has rejected expanding dentistry training because of the cost, while one in four dentists working in the Netherlands was trained abroad.
Education minister Rianne Letschert will not add training places for would-be dentists, she says in a letter sent to the Tweede Kamer today. She calls expanding the dentistry programme "very costly": it would cost 30.1 million euros every year.
The decision goes against the advice of the Capaciteitsorgaan, an independent foundation that studies how many dentists and other care professionals will be needed. Last December it advised raising the number of places to 386 a year. There are now 270, rising to 290 from next year.
Planned dentistry places stay well below the advised 386
Places per year
Planned dentistry places stay well below the advised 386 (places per year). Highest: Advised in December, 386; lowest: Now, 270; 3 items. Source: Capaciteitsorgaan and the education minister's letter.
| Item | places per year |
|---|---|
| Now | 270.0 |
| From next year | 290.0 |
| Advised in December | 386.0 |
Etienne Verheijck, education director of the Amsterdam dentistry faculty Acta, is disappointed. "We think this is unwise. We had hoped the advice would be followed, if necessary in part. Yes, it costs money, but the programmes have room to train more students," he said.
The minister does want more oral hygienists. From the 2027-2028 academic year, 28 extra students may start the programme, bringing the total to 381. She says this is needed because dentists will delegate more tasks, with hygienists taking over part of their work.
Dentists from abroad increasingly fill the gap. According to dentists' association KNMT, one in four working dentists in the Netherlands was trained abroad.
Tweede Kamer
The House of Representatives, the lower and more powerful house of the Dutch parliament. Its 150 members are elected directly; it can amend bills and holds the cabinet to account.
Capaciteitsorgaan
The Capacity Organ is an independent foundation that studies how many doctors, dentists and other care professionals the Netherlands will need in future. Its advice on how many training places to create for these professions is taken into account in national policy, so when the government sets a number below its advice, as in this article, it is a deliberate departure from that recommendation.
KNMT (Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij tot bevordering der Tandheelkunst)
The KNMT is the Royal Dutch Dental Association, the professional association for dentists in the Netherlands. It speaks on behalf of dentists on issues such as training, working conditions and the dental profession, so its figures and statements are often cited in debates about dental care.