Dentist Shortage & Oversupply: A Growing Problem

Spain boasts the fifth-highest density of dentists in the European Union, with 42,860 professionals practicing in 2024, yet it remains the only country within the bloc where dental specialization isn’t officially recognized—a frustrating paradox for many in the field.

A Growing Push for Official Dental Specialties

Nine Spanish autonomous communities now support a move toward formalizing dental specialties, a change that could reshape the profession.

• Spain currently lacks official dental specialties, unlike other EU nations.
• Nine of Spain’s autonomous communities are now backing efforts to change this.
• A surplus of dental school graduates is contributing to job market pressures.
• The lack of specialization impacts Spanish dentists seeking opportunities abroad.

The General Council of Dentists announced earlier this week that Andalusia and Castilla y León have joined the growing list of regions endorsing the processing and official recognition of dental specialties. This momentum follows the passage of Royal Decree 589/2022, which outlines the requirements for establishing new health science specialties—namely, accreditation by at least seven Health Departments and broad acceptance among them.

What are the benefits of dental specialization? Establishing recognized specialties would improve the quality of patient care and allow dentists to address more complex cases, according to advocates.

The Call for an “OIR” System

Oscar Castro Reino, president of the General Council of Dentists, expressed his frustration with the current situation. “We ask for an equivalent to the MIR, but to be called OIR, Resident Internal Dentist. We already have the support needed to apply,” he stated.

Castro Reino also highlighted a growing concern: the increasing number of dental school graduates exceeding the capacity of the Spanish labor market. Approximately 3,000 students graduate each year, with 880 places available at 13 public universities and 1,862 at 14 private faculties in 2024, according to the Council. This imbalance, he argues, leads to unemployment, emigration, or the acceptance of less-than-ideal employment alternatives. “Dentistry has always been the ugly duckling of healthcare,” he said.

A Paradox for Dentists Seeking Work Abroad

The situation creates a unique challenge for Spanish dentists seeking opportunities internationally. While many complete master’s degrees in specialized areas like oral surgery, their qualifications are often recognized only as general dentistry abroad. “This means that they are clearly inferior to their counterparts in other countries. They cannot accredit training even if they have a degree,” Castro Reino explained. He also noted that these master’s programs can be prohibitively expensive, with the false promise of eventual specialist title validation.

Adding to the complexity, Spanish dentists can only achieve official specialist status by completing their training in other countries—a frustrating irony.

Next Steps and Potential Specialties

With the necessary support from autonomous communities and endorsements from scientific societies like the Spanish Society of Oral Surgery and the Spanish Society of Orthodontics, the path toward official specialties is opening. Potential specialties under consideration include periodontics, oral surgery, orthodontics, dentofacial orthopedics, dental prosthesis, endodontics, and pediatric dentistry. “Have enough content and professionals who are dedicated to them which may be specialties. This will improve the quality of care for patients. The more specialists there are, the more complex problems will be treated,” Castro Reino emphasized.

However, he stressed the continued importance of general dentistry, envisioning a future where general dentists serve as primary care providers, referring patients to specialists as needed—a model similar to family medicine.

The next step involves the Specialties Commission of the General Council of Dentists preparing a document for scientific societies to formally request the creation of these specialties from the Ministry of Health. Castro Reino noted a final irony: the term used to describe a specialist dentist differs depending on context—dentist to dentist, versus the term “stomatologist,” which currently cannot hold a specialist designation.

In July, the government authorized the distribution of 68 million euros for the expansion of the oral health portfolio within the National Health System. However, Castro Reino believes this amount is insufficient to significantly improve dental health for Spain’s more than 49 million residents. “If new places or resources are not created, there is little we can do. As the health budgets are not infinite, they must be prioritized in children’s prevention plans,” he concluded.