Nearly two years without the Overseas Registration Exam: what's next for internationally qualified dentists in the UK?

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, internationally qualified dentists have been negatively impacted. This is due to the suspension of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) with no confirmation of any future dates. Similarly, UK dentistry was also affected by a significant increase in waiting lists all over the UK, with long waiting lists being present even before the pandemic. Due to these factors, many have highlighted and argued the need for internationally qualified dentists and urged the need to facilitate their registrations. Additionally, after Brexit, the government has introduced new immigration routes to attract overseas, highly educated human resources, so that they can contribute to different sectors in the UK. Considering these circumstances, there are a few alternatives to the ORE that could be introduced to facilitate the registration of internationally qualified dentists and to support NHS dental services. This paper suggests short- and long-term solutions to support the registration of internationally qualified dentists, considering that after two years, European-qualified dentists might need to undertake registration exams as well.