[The Dutch Dental Association's vision of dental training]

The Dutch Dental Association (NMT) feels very involved in dental schooling and advocates as broad an education as possible with explicit attention to the 'gatekeeper' function of the dentist in general practice, diagnostics and the development of motor skills for complex, restorative treatments. Attention is demanded to place individual professional practice in a wider context of dental staff and a network of opportunities of referral. The NMT wishes to develop a system for the profession in which guidelines, intercollegial testing and effective accredited provision of further training, systemic opportunities and guidelines for the promotion of expertise are given in the areas of technical methods, organisation of practices and professional attitude. They wish to support the newly-qualified dentist through the introduction of a year of practical training linked to study, so that an 'educational continuum' of education, training and continual further training develops, and to make a contribution not just organizationally, but also regarding the content of the curriculum, certainly where it concerns the sociological aspects and the needs of the professional group.