Versorgungsforschung
Studying dental medicine at the MHB
Neuruppin, 20 January 2023
Prof. Simon, the Brandenburg Medical School has plans to introduce a programme in dental medicine. How did that come about?
When I started at the MHB about 18 months ago, our Health Minister Ursula Nonnemacher approached me with the topic. Brandenburg has no training facilities for dental studies to date. In addition to that suggestion from outside, the question about long-term perspectives emerged inside the MHB as well. Apart from the general societal need for such training in Brandenburg, it would go well with our existing portfolio of medicine, psychotherapy and health services research.
How does the MHB intend to implement these plans?
We have a rough time schedule. The idea is to admit 48 students per year, starting in 2024. Selection procedures are to begin this summer, and our homepage will have all further curricular details and information on costs and possibilities of financial support. We are in the process of designing concepts for the programme including curriculum, instruction and exams. An application needs to be submitted to the Ministry of Science, Research and Cultural Affairs for approval, and we expect this will take about one year.
What are the challenges in establishing this new degree programme?
When the MHB was founded in 2014 we had hospitals but no university. Today we have a unversity and three associated university hospitals at four different locations but no dental clinic. But a dental clinic is essential for the practical training of dental students so that they can start treating patients under supervision. This is why we will start with a temporary solution and then build our own dental clinic. What is currently under review is the option to newly develop the former tram depot in Brandenburg an der Havel. There is enough time to build the dental clinic because dentistry training starts with two years of primarily theoretical instruction. But we still aim to give students the opportunity of earliest possible patient contacts, the same as with our students of medicine and psychology.
Any reactions to your plans?
Yes, definitely, there has been much positive feedback from politicians, the Brandenburg dental association and also from local dentists who are willing to cooperate with us in future.