Oral Health Sciences (joint degree)

The postgraduate master’s programme in Oral Health Sciences is a 3-year degree programme offered by the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA).

This full-time programme is taught in English and offers a unique combination of theoretical training and clinical skills. The master Oral Health Sciences is intended for ambitious Dutch and international dentists with a few years of work experience in a general practice. With the programme they can deepen, broaden and complement their knowledge of Oral Health Sciences and specialise in one of the following five graduation profiles:

• Endodontology
• Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Prosthodontics and Oral Implantology

The following four components are offered throughout the entire programme:

1. In the joint courses the focus is on the interprofessional exchange of dentists’ experiences and current literature to stay informed within all fields of dentistry;
2. In the research track the research skills are further developed culminating in a thesis;
3. In the profile specific theoretical courses in-depth knowledge of seminars, specialist literature and debates is gained;
4. In the profile specific clinics dentists acquire the necessary clinical competences of their graduation profile.

Each graduation profile meets the international standards of the relevant international professional bodies and reaps the benefits of the interprofessional cooperation opportunities within the OHS programme.

The OHS programme aims to deliver experienced dentists (‘differentiated’ dentists) who take on a leading role in top clinical dental care and will mainly treat patients in the ‘second line’ (on referral). Therefore, they are well equipped to collaborate with other differentiated dentists and general practitioners. After graduation, graduates can also become academic and clinical teachers, PhD students/researchers or a mix of these professions.

Graduates receive a joint Master's of sciences degree (MSc) Oral Health Sciences from the University of Amsterdam and VU Amsterdam as well as a profile-specific certificate from ACTA. They will deliver a Dutch recognized title ‘differentiated’ dentist.