New Dental Act to be in force effective Jan 1 – Khairy

PUTRAJAYA: The Dental Act 2018 (Act 804) will be in force effective Jan 1, 2022 to replace the Dental Act 1971 (Act 51) which has regulated the practice of dentistry for the past 50 years.

Minister of Health, Khairy Jamaluddin said, in line with the development in the practice and technology in dentistry, a new act with a wider jurisdiction of provisions covering all aspects in the latest dentistry practice was needed.

The act which contained nine divisions and 104 sections stipulates that only qualified, competent and professional practitioners would be registered, and qualified to provide dental services.

“With this, the quality and safety of dental service is guaranteed and boosts the confidence and trust of the people in the dental service,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Act 804 also provides for the setting up of the Malaysian Dental Council and the Malaysian Dental Therapists Board, regulation of dental practice and other related matters.

The act would also enable enforcement to be taken against dental practices which did not comply with the provisions of the act especially illegal dental practices, he said.

According to Khairy, among the new provisions of the act was the Professional Qualifying Examination for purpose of the registration of dentists, registrations of dental specialists and dental therapists.

It also provided the need to collect points for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Professional Indemnity Cover for applications of practising certificate and enforcement in dental practices.

“It is mandatory for all practitioners to collect CPD points and obtain Professional Indemnity Cover, before renewing the practising certificate. Nevertheless, this provision will only be enforced on Jan 1, 2025,” said Khairy.

In the meantime, Khairy said all dentistry graduates who wanted to register with the Malaysian Dentistry Council must ensure they passed the Professional Qualifying Examination.

For those with qualifications which were listed in the Second Schedule of the Dental Act 1971, were allowed to register with the Malaysian Dental Council without having to sit for the Professional Qualifying Examination.

And the approval is only valid for a five-year period from the date the act was enforced, namely, from Jan 1 next year until Dec 31, 2026, he said.