The Government announced today that the provisions on provisional registration, internship and period of assessment in the Dentists Registration Ordinance will come into effect from April 1.

It explained that by April 1, local dental graduates have to undergo an internship with provisional registration, while non-locally trained dentists who have passed the Dental Council’s licensing examination will also need to undergo a period of assessment with provisional registration, before they can obtain full registration in Hong Kong.

The Government indicated that the requirements for an internship and a period of assessment have been introduced in the ordinance in response to feedback from the dental profession in recent years regarding the enhancement of the practical clinical experience of local dental graduates and non-locally trained dentists.

Under the guidance of experienced dentists, interns and assessees will work in rotation at various service units, including school dental care, emergency dental service, hospital dental service, community dental service and general dental service.

Pursuant to the ordinance, the internship and period of assessment generally lasts for 12 months. As some non-locally trained dentists may have prior practising experience before arriving in Hong Kong, the law allows the Dental Council to consider shortening the assessment period on a case-by-case basis.

In cases of unsatisfactory performance by an individual intern or assessee, the council may extend or terminate the internship or the assessment period. This is similar to the arrangement under the Medical Registration Ordinance, which aims to uphold patient welfare.

Given that the relevant provisions of the ordinance will come into effect from April 1, the Government noted that sufficient time will be allowed for the council and the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong to streamline administrative and preparatory work, facilitating a smooth transition into the internship arrangement for local dental graduates this summer.

In the meantime, non-locally trained dentists who have passed the licensing examination earlier will also have ample time to apply for full registration at the council before the new provisions take effect, the Government added.