EC Dental Science

Purpose: To share our experience with the formation of dental professionals as entrepreneurs, leaders, and managers of their practices.

Relevance of the Problem: The transition to a free-market economy created prerequisites and demonstrated the need for entrepreneurship and managerial skills to deal in the market social environment, especially in the field of healthcare services provision. The harmonization of dental education within the EU resulted in the elaboration of common frame requirements based on a list of competencies for the dental practitioner. In response, we established a department of public health and developed a series of programs and of textbooks “Social medicine and medical ethics”, “Public health and Healthcare management” and “Dental health and Dental practice management”.

Materials and Methods: Secondary data from a longitudinal study of the re-professionalization of dentists in Bulgaria and a review of the undergraduate dental curriculum are applied.

Results: Professional and market situation: As of 31.12.2022, 79.8% of women dentists and 82.2% of male dentists determine their status as self-employed owners, 12.2% of women dentists and 10.8% of male dentists work in rented surgeries, and only 8% of female and 7% of male dentists -as salaried. Only a few dentists work as specialists (between 18% in 1995 and 5.5% in 2011). A trend of change from solo to the group-practice organization is observed. Half of the women dentists and 28% of male dentists work without auxiliary staff. The public/private sources of financing are changing from 60%:40% to 40%:60%. The private insurance schemes cover only about 1 - 2% of oral health expenditures. Most co-payment represent out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures. Less than half of the population visits a dentist once a year. After 12 years of teaching marketing and management of dental practice 74% of dentists in Bulgaria are able to solve diverse managerial problems alone, 9% educate themselves and only 17% look for consultations. The Public dental health course provides dentists with relevant knowledge.

Conclusion: The dental practitioner as owner and director of their practice combines social and professional experience. Therefore, adequate focused teaching of managerial knowledge and skills has to be an essential part of dental education.

Keywords: Dental Profession; Professionalization; Global Dental Market; Dentists’ Mobility; Dental Education

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