In Sweden, dental practitioners have an exclusive right to practice their profession, and dental practitioner is a protected professional title. This means that only a person who holds a licence to practise is allowed to use the title or exercise the profession. The licence is awarded by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).

If you have an education from within the EU or in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland

If you have received your training in another EEA Member State and want to work as a dental practitioner in Sweden, you need a formal recognition of your professional qualifications.

Please check the National Board of Health and Welfare’s website (Socialstyrelsen) if you like to apply for a formal recognition of your professional qualifications.

If you have an education from countries outside EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland

There are two ways to acquire the right to work as a dentist if you are a dental practitioner trained in another country than the EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Either you could precede the supplementary education for foreign dentists or you can proceed the steps required by the National Board of Health and Welfare on your own.

Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the University of Gothenburg, has been commissioned to arrange supplementary education for professional status qualification for dentists with a degree from a country outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland.

The aim of the supplementary programme – which covers one year’s full-time study – is for the person to be able, after a completed and approved programme, to demonstrate such knowledge and ability as are required for the medical profession and, after assessment by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen),

Read more about the supplementary education for professional status qualification (Swedish Council for Higher Education).

If you decide to gain the supplementary education on your own please learn more about the different steps here.

The National Board of Health and Welfare has a website with useful information on how to obtain a Swedish license to practice.