Dentist Regulation in Cyprus


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Cyprus, as a member of the EU, is subject to EU dental regulations. Furthermore, all practising dentists are members of the Cyprus Dental Association (CDA) which has its own set of high standards. The quality of healthcare is amongst the highest in Europe, while the prices are amongst the lowest worldwide, which makes the CDA’s minimum price requirements understandable. However, the only governmental body that actively regulates dental care is a small committee of the Ministry of Health, but this only deals with dentists or clinics about which it has received complaints. It is possible to look at this system from two main perspectives, that in the first instance it is an effective system because it makes sure that only clinics that fail to perform properly and give the patient satisfaction are targeted for inspection and regulation, whereas on the other hand it relies too heavily on people making complaints, and some cases of malpractice or poor dental care may have slipped through the net, and further that it cannot do enough to maintain a standard sufficiently above the level of complaint.

Cyprus is an island with a relatively small population, which achieved independence from the UK in 1960; this explains its enduring popularity and connections with the UK. It has no National Health Service, but healthcare is nonetheless provided by the government and private healthcare services. Furthermore there are no dental schools on the island, in part due to the small population, and consequently the majority (about three-quarters) of dentists study in Greece. These students are still regulated by Cyprus standards, as they must pass an exam on the island before being allowed to Greek universities. However, any students studying elsewhere (in the US or UK, for example) only have to pass the entrance exams of the country in which they want to study.


Qualifications of Dentists in Cyprus

Because there are no dental schools in Cyprus, all practising dentists are qualified abroad. This means you will have to verify their qualifications with the university or school where they studied. In the case of dentists who went to Greek universities, they will already have had to sit the Cyprus entry examinations before leaving, so you may want to verify those as well, but a valid qualification from a Greek university should be enough. All dentists must have their title recognised by the Cyprus Dental Council, and then also with the Cyprus Dental Association. Bear in mind there are a few exemptions from the CDA in the case of dentists only temporarily practising, so all you have to do with a dentist who is not a member of the CDA is ratify their legitimacy with the Cyprus Dental Council. All practising dentists must legally be over 21 years of age.

Accreditation of Dental Practices in Cyprus

Clinics are not funded by the government and generally any dentist founding one has to take out a bank loan; typically dental clinics only house one dentist, without assistants. Practices are not regulated by the government, CDC or CDA, as a good dentist is expected to maintain a good clinic. Consequently any accreditation that a clinic may have will come from an external standards board, such as the ones detailed in the introduction to this guide. Usually however clinics will be proud of any accreditation they have and it should not prove difficult to find it and then ratify it with the relevant board.

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