Oral health is a determining factor for the quality of life, essential for well-being and an integral part of general health. Still oral diseases are a major problem in Europe. Preventing oral diseases and promoting oral health is the ‘core business’ of dental hygienists. However, dental hygienists services are not equally distributed and/or recognized over European countries.

In order to change this situation the European Dental Hygienists Federation (EDHF) – with its 24 member countries representing over 38.000 dental hygienists – developed a Professional Profile of competences for dental hygienists in Europe.

In addition to the Professional Profile, EDHF started in 2017 to develop also a Common Education Curriculum (CEC) for dental hygienists with the purpose to harmonize dental hygienist education in Europe to a common set of knowledge, skills and competences. This European CEC also demonstrates the importance and role of dental hygienists in society in order to introduce the education and profession of dental hygienists in all EU countries. Together with the Common Professional Profile for Dental Hygienists in Europe, the CEC will promote communication and mobility of the dental hygienist across EU-nations without compensations measures. It also provides access to a high quality educated resource in oral health as well as student exchange programs.

The CEC for Dental Hygiene provides a standardised curriculum approach that reflects best academic practice for European dental hygiene education. EDHF is happy to see this document disseminated widely and the outcome will be future derivations which take account of local cultural and patient needs in different areas of the world. The CEC does not interfere with national regulations on professionals since every country has their own laws, regulation and supervising bodies. Instead, it defines a standard framework for dental hygienist education, giving universities and other providers of dental hygiene training a benchmark from which to tailor their programs in line with local demands, regulations and aspirations.

EDHF would like to thank TePe and the International Federation of Dental Hygienists (IFDH ) for making the open access of the CEC possible.

Read CEC