Is Your Turkish Dentist Qualified? How to Check

Key facts

Every practising dentist in Turkey must be a member of a regional dental chamber under the Turkish Dental Association (TDB) Law, No. 3224.

Specialists train after passing DUS, the national dental specialty entrance exam, and use the title "Uzm. Dt.".

Implantology is not a separate specialty in Turkey; implants are placed by oral surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists and trained general dentists.

Since April 2025, clinics treating international patients need a Ministry of Health health-tourism authorisation; agencies need one from USHAŞ.

The UK Foreign Office points patients to the Ministry's approved providers on the HealthTürkiye website.

Is there "board certification" for dentists in Turkey?

No. In the United States, "board certified" means a dentist has passed an exam set by a specialty board. Turkey uses a different system. A dentist qualifies through a dental degree and becomes a specialist through a state-regulated training programme. So the useful question is not "are they board certified?" but "are they licensed, and are they a specialist in what I need?"

What do Turkish dental titles mean?

The title in front of a dentist's name tells you a lot. Ask for it in full.

Title	What it means
Dt.	Dentist: holds a dental degree and is licensed to practise
Uzm. Dt.	Specialist dentist: completed specialty training after passing DUS
Dr. Dt.	Dentist with a doctorate (PhD) in a dental field
Doç. Dr.	Associate professor: an academic rank
Prof. Dr.	Professor: the senior academic rank

Academic titles show research and teaching experience. They do not by themselves tell you how many implants or crowns someone places each year, so ask about that too.

Which specialist should be doing your treatment?

Turkey's dental specialties include oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontology, prosthodontics, orthodontics, endodontics, restorative dentistry, paediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial radiology.[2] Match the specialist to the work:

Treatment	Relevant specialty
Implants, bone grafts, sinus lifts	Oral and maxillofacial surgery or periodontology; prosthodontics for the teeth on top
Full-arch work (All-on-4, All-on-6)	Usually a surgeon and a prosthodontist working together
Crowns, bridges, veneers	Prosthodontics or restorative dentistry
Root canal treatment	Endodontics
Gum disease, gum grafts	Periodontology

A general dentist with postgraduate implant training can also place implants well. If no specialist is involved, ask how many implant cases the dentist treats a year and what training they have completed. For full-arch treatment, see our All-on-4 guide.

How do you check a Turkish dentist's credentials?

Work through these with any clinic, by email, before you travel:

Get the treating dentist's full name and title. A clinic brand is not a clinician. If several dentists will treat you, get each name.
Ask for the dental school and year of graduation.
Ask for the specialist certificate if the dentist uses "Uzm. Dt.", and which specialty it is in.
Ask which regional dental chamber the dentist is registered with. Chambers keep membership records and handle complaints and discipline. You can contact the chamber to confirm membership.
Check the clinic, not just the dentist. Ask for the clinic's Ministry of Health licence and its health-tourism authorisation certificate, and look the clinic up on HealthTürkiye.[3][4]
If you book through an agency, ask for the agency's own USHAŞ authorisation.

A reputable clinic answers all six without hesitation. Our article are dental implants in Turkey safe? adds the treatment-specific checks for implants.

What are the warning signs?

No named dentist until you arrive.
A treatment plan from a coordinator or salesperson, not a dentist.
Titles that do not match the Turkish system, or that cannot be explained.
Reluctance to put the dentist's name, the materials and the plan in writing.
A different dentist doing the work from the one you consulted, without explanation.

The UK Foreign Office advises discussing plans with your own dentist before treatment abroad, and doing your own research rather than relying only on companies that profit from the booking.[4] For a full clinic checklist, see how to choose a dental clinic in Turkey. Planning crowns? Read why zirconia crowns are so cheap in Turkey and zirconia vs PFM crowns.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my Turkish dentist is board certified?

Turkey does not use board certification. Check instead that the dentist is a registered member of a regional dental chamber, and whether they hold the specialist title "Uzm. Dt." in a field relevant to your treatment.

What does "Uzm. Dt." mean?

It stands for "Uzman Diş Hekimi", a specialist dentist. It means the dentist passed the national specialty entrance exam (DUS) and completed training in a recognised specialty such as oral surgery, periodontology or prosthodontics.

Do I need a specialist for dental implants in Turkey?

Not necessarily. Many trained general dentists place implants well. For complex cases, such as full-arch treatment, bone grafting or zygomatic implants, a specialist oral surgeon or periodontist is usually the safer choice.

How can I check that a Turkish dental clinic is approved?

Ask for its Ministry of Health licence and its health-tourism authorisation, and check the clinic on the HealthTürkiye website, which lists Ministry-approved providers.

References

Türk Dişhekimleri Birliği Kanunu (Turkish Dental Association Law), No. 3224, 7 June 1985.
Tıpta ve Diş Hekimliğinde Uzmanlık Eğitimi Yönetmeliği (Regulation on Specialty Training in Medicine and Dentistry), with the dental specialty schedule as listed in Ordu University's specialty training guide.
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Health. Uluslararası Sağlık Turizmi ve Turistin Sağlığı Hakkında Yönetmelik. Resmî Gazete No. 32882, 26 April 2025.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Turkey travel advice: Health. Updated 21 September 2026.

Is Your Turkish Dentist Qualified? How to Check a Licence, a Specialist Title and the Clinic