dental chamber

What is the Dental Chamber?

The 17 state dental chambers are established under state law, typically a health professions act or chamber act. North Rhine-Westphalia has two chamber districts, which explains the number differing from the 16 federal states. The responsible state ministries exercise legal oversight, not professional oversight. At federal level, the chambers have united to form the Bundeszahnärztekammer, which is organised as a registered association and holds no sovereign authority over individual dentists. Each chamber sets its own membership fees, which are usually calculated on the basis of income.

What are its responsibilities?

The chamber issues the code of professional conduct and continuing education regulations, conducts specialist dentist examinations in areas such as oral surgery or orthodontics, and organises continuing professional development. Additional functions include training dental surgery assistants, expert opinion services, patient advice, professional disciplinary proceedings, and in most states a pension fund as a retirement provision. In many federal states, the chamber also administers the specialist language examination for dentists with foreign qualifications, and advises on questions relating to advertising, practice names, and cooperation with dental laboratories.

What matters for those returning from EU countries?

After receiving licence to practise as a dentist, the next step is to register with the chamber in the federal state where one will be working. A sensitive issue is how a degree obtained abroad may be styled. Whether a Hungarian "dr. med. dent.", for example, is written in lower or upper case, with or without an indication of the awarding country, is governed by state law and equivalence agreements. Incorrect use of academic titles may constitute a criminal offence under § 132a of the Criminal Code, so obtaining advice from the chamber or the Ministry of Science before putting up a practice nameplate is strongly recommended.

Distinction from the KZV

The chamber regulates professional law for all dentists. The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists is responsible solely for the care of statutory health insurance patients. Both memberships coexist and each carries its own fees. Those who treat exclusively private patients remain chamber members but do not require admission from the licensing committee. Those who relocate must deregister from the old chamber and register with the new one, as the professional codes of the states differ in detail.