Foreign-Trained Dentists' Experiences of the Swedish Proficiency Test for Recognition of Dental Qualifications

Dentists educated outside the EU/EEA can undergo a national proficiency test to obtain a Swedish dental licence. These assessments aim to ensure competence and patient safety, but little is known about how foreign-trained dentists experience the process. This study aimed to describe the experiences of dentists undertaking the theoretical and clinical skills examinations included in the Swedish proficiency test for dentists educated outside EU/EEA.

Written responses to open-ended questions from post-examination online surveys were analysed, using systematic text condensation. Surveys were collected after six theoretical examinations (n = 486) and four clinical skills examinations (n = 190) between 2022 and 2024. Respondents represented 54 countries.

Participants' experiences were summarised in one core theme: challenges in demonstrating competence, divided into four subthemes: (a) preparing for the exams, (b) relevance of assessments, (c) language barriers and (d) stress.

Participants described several challenges in demonstrating competence during the recognition process, mirroring experiences previously reported by dentists and other health-care professionals in similar high-stakes contexts. Participants also expressed a need for preparatory guidance, language support and tasks closely aligned with professional practice, which may be useful in the future development of recognition processes for dentists and health professionals seeking to work under a licence within the European Union.

Participants confirmed known challenges in the recognition process while also highlighting a novel concern: they described the theoretical and clinical examinations, modelled on undergraduate assessments, as designed for students and as non-representative of real clinical situations, which they described as hindering their ability to demonstrate competence in professional practice.