It was recently published the news of the claim by the General Council of Dentists for Vitaldent to remove the terms 'specialist' and 'specialties' from its advertising.
Then, Is it true that there are no specialized dentists? In other words, is any dentist equally prepared to treat any oral health problem? Nothing is further from reality.
Although the Council's claim has been made on an indisputable legal basis, we think it is important to clarify some ideas.
Officially, there are no specialists recognized as such...
So far, it's totally true. The Law in Spain does not (yet) recognize specialists or specialties in the field of Dentistry. Therefore, with the law in hand, we cannot refer to them with these terms. Spain is, along with Luxembourg and Malta, the only country in the European Union that does not officially recognize them. But this will change in the next 5 years. As the Council itself points out, work is being done to recognize (and regulate) these specialties.
…but there are specialists de facto
Actually, from our point of view, yes there are indeed specialists. And what would we consider a specialist?
First you have to understand how to train a dentist. Since 86 there has been a degree, now a degree, in Dentistry. This would be the first step to being a 'general' dentist.
From here, to specialize we enter non-regulated training, which each dentist follows according to their criteria. The most common is a university program in a hospital, accredited by the European Union, which usually lasts three years. There are also dentists who carry out equivalent programs abroad.
On the other hand, there are shorter courses, which do not provide a sufficient knowledge base to be considered 'specialised'. Shorter courses would be complementary to the above.
And to use an analogy, a chef who has completed a three-year master's degree in Asian cuisine is not the same as one who has completed a one-day course in Sushi for beginners.
After training comes practice. A 'specialist' would be, in our opinion, a dentist who, in addition to the aforementioned training exercises in the discipline in which he has been trained —Dentistry includes up to twelve different disciplines—.
What makes a specialist a specialist?
According to our experience, and until the legal requirements for being called a 'specialist' are regulated, a dentist who exercises a certain discipline with guarantees must have formal training in Dentistry (bachelor's degree or degree), plus a university specialization program ( of at least two or three years), and indicatively a minimum of five years practicing in this discipline.
For this reason, in the face of any oral health problem, it is best to choose the most suitable professional based on their training and experience in the discipline in which he has (we allow ourselves to say) specialized. Because, as in any professional area, not everyone knows how to do everything.
The Ahoa Dental Clinic has been characterized from the beginning by providing its patients with the best dental treatment and care, based on a team of dental professionals, all of them specialized with formal university training in different areas of oral health and aesthetics.
Ask us if you have any questions!
Inaki Cercadillo
Ahoa Clinic Director