Over 60% of new dentists join Department of Health after mandatory internship
About 60 per cent of Hong Kong’s first batch of dental graduates who underwent mandatory internship training have joined the city’s Department of Health, a move that has helped “significantly ease” the manpower crunch. The development followed a controversial amendment to the Dentists Registration Ordinance in 2024, requiring all dental graduates in Hong Kong to complete a 12-month internship…
Over 60% of Hong Kong’s dental graduates who completed the mandatory 12-month internship have joined the Department of Health, addressing the city's manpower shortage in dentistry. The internship, introduced in 2024 after an amendment to the Dentists Registration Ordinance, necessitated all graduates to gain real-world clinical experience before obtaining their full licence.
Dr Kitty Hse Mei-yin, the department's consultant-in-charge, reported that 46 out of the first 75 interns had chosen to work for the government. The remaining interns pursued roles at teaching hospitals, universities, non-governmental organisations, or the private sector. Hse highlighted that the internship provided students with a practical understanding of working with various patients in different roles, supervised by experienced dentists.
The rotation included four clinical settings – general and emergency dental service, public hospital, teaching hospital, and school dental care service – each lasting three months and subjected to assessments by seasoned dentists. Following the internship, students received a certificate of experience and full registration the following day, except for one who was suspended for accessing patient records without consent.
The internship received positive feedback from students and patients alike, with over 80% of the interns expressing satisfaction. The Department of Health aims to continue the rotational arrangement, expanding exposure to various specialities and digital health record systems, as well as enhancing safety awareness. Despite the internship's main objective not being to fill public sector vacancies, the government expects the manpower crunch to be significantly eased.
The University of Hong Kong, the city's sole dental school, graduates about 70 students annually, with most opting for private practice due to better pay and working conditions. Health authorities had previously projected a shortage of 180 dentists by 2030, 120 by 2035, and a surplus of 20 by 2040. One intern, Dr Jason Yip, expressed that while the undergraduate curriculum provided foundational skills, the internship taught him the importance of attention to detail and understanding patient concerns.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
