The government announced that the provisions of the Dentists Registration Ordinance related to provisional registration, internship and assessment period will be implemented from April 1. Local dental graduates will then be required to register provisionally for internship, and non-locally trained dentists who have passed the Hong Kong Dental Council’s licensed examination will also be required to register provisionally and undergo an assessment period before they can be officially registered in Hong Kong.
The Legislative Council passed the Dentists Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024 in July last year. The government subsequently submitted the second effective date notice to the Legislative Council at the end of last year to implement the first-establishment and then-review procedure, and the review period was passed yesterday.
The spokesman said that the current law does not require dentists to undergo an internship or assessment period before registration, which is completely different from the practice of doctors. The Ordinance introduces internship and assessment period requirements in response to the opinions of the dental industry in recent years to enhance the clinical experience of local dental graduates and non-locally trained dentists in actual workplaces. The relevant arrangement will be of great benefit to further enhance the professional level of dentists.
The relevant interns or assessed persons will be granted temporary registration status and appointed as contract dentists. The salary will be calculated at 50% of the 30-point level of the Civil Service Master Pay Scale, which is $35,505 per month for the 2024/25 financial year. During the period, they will rotate positions and work in different service units under the supervision of senior dentists, including school dental care services, emergency dental services and hospital dental services. After successfully completing the internship or assessment period, they will be awarded a certificate of experience for formal registration.
According to the Ordinance, the internship or assessment period generally lasts for 12 months. In view of the fact that some non-local trained dentists already have professional experience before coming to Hong Kong, the Ordinance allows the Dental Council to consider individual cases and shorten the assessment period; if the Dental Council considers that the other party’s performance is not satisfactory, it may also extend or terminate the internship or assessment period.
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