The Legislative Council (LegCo) of Hong Kong passed the ‘Dentists Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024’ in what Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau described as a “historic” moment.
“The bill aims to update the legal framework which has been in use since so as to bring the regulatory framework of dental practice in Hong Kong up to date and in line with the latest development in the demand for dental manpower and services for the benefit of the general public,” said Secretary Lo to lawmakers on 10 Jul in the Legislative Council Complex.
He added: “It is now a historic moment for Hong Kong. This is the most comprehensive Amendment to the Dentists Registration Ordinance in Hong Kong in over 60 years.”
Under the new bill the Department of Health will start hiring non-locally trained dentists to address the shortage of dentists in Hong Kong. Secretary Lo said that as of 1 Jul 2024, 110 out of the 370 posts of dental officers in the Department of Health were vacant.
“Taking into account also the impending wave of retirements in the next few years, we must expeditiously address the shortage of dentists in the short to medium term so as to avoid affecting the dental health of members of the public,” said Secretary Lo.
The government said that the first batch of non-locally trained dentists are expect to arrive here in Hong Kong by the first quarter of 2025 under the new pathways created in the bill. The shortfall is also expected to persist until 2040 before easing slightly.
Moreover, the new bill also mandated local dentistry graduates to undergo a one-year internship before obtaining full registration.
“In recent months the one-year internship arrangement for local dental graduates has been a subject of concern. As the statutory body responsible for the registration of dentists in Hong Kong, the dental council has conducted several accreditation exercises of The Bachelor of Dentistry program of the University of Hong Kong since 2012,” said Secretary Lo.
Local dental graduates will be regarded as registered dentists in law when they take up internships and rotate through different service units. The arrangement will the new graduates in attached to different areas of work under the government secottr including general, school dental care, emergency, hospital and community dental services.
He added: “The council has repeatedly pointed out its concerns about clinical training of the programme and has even advised the government at one point that it would seriously consider whether it would still be appropriate to continue accepting the program as a recognised programme.”
The arrangement will apply to local dental students graduating in the summer of 2025 and onwards.
Related: Hong Kong government responds to dental internship amendments
