The bridge to practice: A regulatory analysis of pre-licensure dental training in Taiwan

Pre-licensure dental clinical training in Taiwan is commonly viewed as an educational issue, yet it is also shaped by regulation. Eligibility for the dentist licensing examination still requires graduation, completion of internship, and possession of a diploma, whereas lawful practice requires separate practice registration and a practice license. This study examined whether the current training framework is aligned with the legal status and clinical responsibility assigned to dental students.

A qualitative regulatory analysis was conducted using current official legal and policy documents in Taiwan, including the Physicians Act, the Medical Care Act, staged examination rules, the Ministry of Examination's current announcement, and Ministry of Health and Welfare documents on the 115-year 2-year postgraduate general training program for dentists. Documents were included when they had independent regulatory meaning and direct relevance to examination eligibility, supervised student participation, licensure transition, clinical responsibility, or postgraduate competency allocation.

Pre-licensure internship remains legally embedded in examination eligibility. Student participation in clinical care is permitted only as a supervised exception rather than full professional authority. Diagnosis, charting, disclosure, treatment consent, and lawful practice remain centered on licensed practitioners and medical institutions. In parallel, current policy has shifted more complex and higher-risk competencies into the 2-year dental PGY platform.

Taiwan's current framework expects pre-licensure training to support professional readiness while withholding the full legal authority and responsibility of licensed practice. The central issue is therefore not duration alone, but a mismatch between legal status and educational function.