The Faculty of Dentistry was founded in 1955. It has five clinical departments: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontics, Conservative Dentistry, Pedodontics and Orthodontics, and Periodontology, as well as one theoretical department, the Department of Oral Biology.
In April 2007, the dental clinical departments moved to the new state-of-the-art Dental Training Center, which occupyies approximately 11,000 sq. meters and provides excellent infrastructural facilities for both patient care and dental education. Two additional dental divisions were introduced to the Dental Training Center: the Division of Oral Diagnosis and the Division of Dental Radiology.
The new Dental Training Center provides 170 dental stations for the training of undergraduate and graduate dental students. The majority of its dental equipment is brand-new. The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has two outpatient dental clinics with several dental offices, an inpatient ward with a 25-bed capacity, and a fully-equipped operating room designed for major head and neck surgeries. The Department of Oral Biology is located in the NET Building at Nagyvárad tér (Nagyvárad square).
EDUCATION
Undergraduate Training
The training period at the Faculty of Dentistry comes to a total of ten semesters (five years), and requires a minimum of 300 credits. In the first four terms, students learn basic medical subjects. The curriculum is identical to that of medical students. In addition, dental students are required to participate in special dental preclinical courses such as Preventive Dentistry, Dental Materials, and Odontotechnology.
Beginning in the fifth semester, special dental subjects and a number of general theory and clinical medical courses are taught. These include: Oral Biology, Oral Pathology, Oral Microbiology and Oral Medicine, and preclinical “phantom head” courses. General medical clinical subjects (e.g. Internal Medicine, Surgery, Neurology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, and Otolaryngology) are taught from the sixth semester on all the way to graduation. These subjects are covered by the Faculty of Medicine’s various departments.
Theoretical and practical courses in clinical dentistry occupy the major part of the last four semesters. Preventive Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontic Dentistry, Conservative Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics, Periodontology, Gnatology, Implantology are the major dental subjects taught by the departments of the Faculty.
After graduation, students receive a Doctor of Dentistry degree (equivalent to a Master of Science degree) signifying full professional competence and allowing them to perform independently and set up their own practices.
Specialty Masters Programs (Residency Programs)
In 2004, a new three-year postgraduate specialization program was introduced to dental science. As a result, specialized postgraduate programs are now available for persons possessing a dental degree. These programs consist of basic training and specialist training in Prosthetic Dentistry, Conservative Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics, Dento-Alveolar Surgery, and Periodontology.
The basic, theoretical part covers all fields of dentistry including management, legal requirement studies, and first-aid training. The practical elements are a combination of theoretical courses, seminars and practical work. Training is held either at the University’s clinics or in extramural polyclinics accredited by the University. The school specifies the amount and type of work which is required to be completed.
Residents work under the supervision of a tutor and the entire program is supervised and co-coordinated by University-appointed mentors. During the program, residents are required to take exams on every dental subject and, at the end of the 36-month program, must have satisfactorily completed both the theoretical and practical part of the course in order to be eligible to take the specialty exam.
Continuing Education
As a result of the credited Continuing Education system in force within Hungary, dentists must accrue 250 credits within each five-year period in order to maintain their license.
Ph.D. Studies
The Faculty of Dentistry’s Ph.D. program, called “Dental Research”, is organized and supervised by the School of Ph.D. Studies. For detailed information, please visit the School of Ph.D. Studies section.
RESEARCH
The Faculty collaborates with nearly all European countries, as well as a number of institutes within the U.S. This collaboration is helpful to many exchange programs as well as in the organization of scientific congresses.
Several of the senior faculty members take active part in dental societies worldwide, and are on the editorial boards of many international journals.
HEALTH CARE
The Faculty’s health care activities concern primarily the education of undergraduate and graduate dental students. The annual turnover of approximately 60,000 to 70,000 patients is beneficial in the process of practical and diagnostic training.
The Faculty is the largest outpatient dental polyclinic and the largest inpatient clinic for dental and maxillofacial patients in Hungary, while the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is responsible for the care of over three million Hungarian citizens in Central Hungary.
