A coalition of European dental professionals, engaged across dental education, dental regulation,
professional practice, and oral health management, therefore call on EU institutions to better align the dental sector with the EU agenda, and, in compliance with Directive’s provisions on updated skills, to:
- Introduce in the Directive’s Annex the request for an electronic portfolio of study. In line with the EU Skills Portability Initiative this should capture all of the practical and theoretical competencies
acquired in undergraduate dental studies and help to ensure consistent monitoring of student
development towards graduation. - Distinguish and recommend a ratio between theoretical and practical clinical training, including
direct patient care under the Directive, incorporated under the “at least 5 000 hours of full-time
theoretical and practical training”. - Strengthen minimum practical training requirements, by introducing a list of fields of clinical
practice under Annex V (5.3.1) - Establish recommendations for ways in which students are monitored, and minimum standards are set during their practical training hours.
- Regularly update the subject list in Annex V of the Directive’s Annex V, to ensure that dental
programmes remain aligned with scientific advancements.
This accord is called the Copenhagen Declaration
