Dental Council of Ireland: Registration, Exams and Fees
The Dental Council keeps the registers of dentists and dental specialists in Ireland. This page explains the examination route for dentists trained outside the EU, temporary registration and specialist assessment, with the Council's 2026 fees.
Overview
The Dental Council, set up under the Dentists Act 1985, regulates dentists and auxiliary dental workers in Ireland. It keeps the Register of Dentists and the Register of Dental Specialists, sets codes of practice and handles fitness to practise.
You must be on the Register of Dentists to practise dentistry in Ireland.
Dentists who qualified outside the EU, and who do not benefit from mutual recognition with Canada or New Zealand, must normally pass the Dental Council Examination for Dentists to get full registration. You first send a transcript of your training for assessment. If the Council finds you followed an acceptable course of study and can communicate in English, you can apply for a place on the exam, which is set at no lower than the standard of Irish final-year dental exams.
Places are the main bottleneck. The exam is held once a year, in two parts in Dublin and Cork, and capacity is limited by the dental schools. For 2026, the Council allocated places by random selection, with 80% reserved for dentists already resident and established in Ireland and 20% for applicants living outside Ireland. You get a maximum of two attempts at Part 1 and three at Part 2.
There are other routes for some applicants. Graduates of accredited programmes under the Council's mutual recognition agreements with Canada and New Zealand can apply for full registration directly. Dentists who qualified outside the EU but had their qualification recognised in an EU member state and practised there for three of the last five years may be entitled to an assessment. UK dental qualifications obtained entirely in the UK before 31 December 2028 follow the EU route. Temporary registration is available for supervised posts in approved institutions, postgraduate programmes or dental hospital research.
The Council recommends allowing three months for a registration application and asks dentists not to book patients until registered. Dentists and dental specialists renew registration every year from 1 February.
Official website: dentalcouncil.ie
Who it registers
- Register of Dentists: full registration for dentists entitled to practise in Ireland.
- Temporary registration: for dentists not eligible for full registration who hold a supervised post under an approved consultant in an approved institution, a Council-approved clinical postgraduate programme or a full-time research post in an Irish dental hospital.
- Register of Dental Specialists: two recognised specialties, oral surgery and orthodontics. You must first be fully registered in the Register of Dentists.
- Registers of auxiliary dental workers: dental hygienists, dental nurses, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists.
Eligibility
- A dental qualification from a course the Council considers acceptable: equivalent to the Dental Directives, meaning at least a five-year full-time course of theoretical and practical instruction at a university or similar institution.
- A transcript of your training and qualifications, assessed by the Council before you can sit the exam.
- Evidence that you can communicate in English, in one of the forms the Council accepts.
- For the 2026 allocation, proof of establishment in Ireland (a PPS number or GNIB/immigration permission) to apply in Group A; otherwise you apply in Group B for the 20% of places for applicants outside Ireland.
- Mutual recognition: graduates of Canadian programmes covered by the agreement after 5 December 2012, or New Zealand programmes after 19 October 2022, apply for full registration without the exam.
- EU assessment route: a non-EU qualification recognised in an EU member state plus three years' practice there in the preceding five years. Contact the registration department before applying.
- Letters of good standing or certificates of current professional status from your regulators, plus certified translations of documents not in English.
- For temporary registration: an offer of a supervised post in an approved setting under an approved consultant.
How to apply
1. Check which route applies to you
Compare your qualification with the Council's categories: Irish, Canadian or New Zealand mutual recognition, EU, EU-recognised with three years' practice, or other. If none applies, you need the exam. Contact the registration department if you think you may be entitled to an assessment instead.2. Prepare your English evidence
You need a degree, or a postgraduate qualification of at least three years, taught in English, three of the last five years' full registered practice in a country with English as an official language, or IELTS Academic 7.0 or OET (Dentistry) grade B in every module. Tests must be no more than two years old when you apply for registration. OET@Home and IELTS Online are not accepted.3. Watch for the exam application window
The Council usually announces the application date between November and December for the following year's exam, on its website and social media. For 2026, applications were accepted during the week of 12 January 2026 by post, courier or in person, and applications received before the announced date are not considered.4. Apply with your transcript and fee
Submit the application with your transcript for assessment and pay the €1,500 exam fee online at the time of application. Incomplete applications are returned. If offered a place, you must accept within three working days or it goes to someone else.5. Sit Part 1 in Dublin
Part 1 has three written papers (Health, Disease and Society) and a bench test of operative techniques on manikin heads. You must pass every written paper in one sitting and the bench test to move on. In 2026, Part 1 ran from 25 to 28 March in Dublin.6. Sit Part 2 in Cork
Part 2 has written papers in restorative dentistry, oral surgery and oral medicine, and child dental health, an OSCE and clinical vivas. Each component must be passed separately, with no compensation. In 2026, Part 2 ran from 15 to 18 June in Cork.7. Apply for full registration
Passing both parts entitles you to apply for the Register of Dentists. Send the application form, passport copy, qualification, English evidence, letters of good standing and the €400 registration application fee. Letters of good standing are generally valid for three months, so request them close to applying.8. Keep your registration
Pay the annual retention fee (€450 for 2026) each year from 1 February. A €300 late fee applies if you have not paid within two months, and continued non-payment can lead to erasure. Dentists must also meet the Council's CPD requirements.
Exams and assessments
Dental Council Examination, Part 1
Three written papers, usually short answer questions: Health (including anatomy, oral histology and physiology), Disease (including immunology, medicine, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and surgery) and Society (including law and ethics, regulation of dentistry in Ireland, dental public health and evaluating evidence). There is also a bench test in a simulated clinic on manikin heads. Held in Dublin, typically in March or April.
Dental Council Examination, Part 2
Written papers in restorative dentistry, oral surgery and oral medicine, and child dental health; an OSCE of clinical and rest stations on diagnosis, treatment planning and clinical decision-making; and clinical vivas with pairs of examiners. Held in Cork, typically in June or July. Pass marks are set by standard-setting and should not be assumed to be 50%.
Attempts and repeats
You have a maximum of two attempts at Part 1 and three at Part 2. A repeat of Part 1 may exempt you from a component you passed before, but a repeat of Part 2 means sitting every component again. Not turning up counts as an attempt, and routine deferrals are not offered. The repeat fee is €750.
Specialist assessment (STAR Committee)
Dentists with a qualification in oral surgery or orthodontics of at least three years who are not automatically recognised can apply to the Council's Specialist Training and Registration (STAR) Committee for assessment, with a logbook summary. You must already be fully registered in the Register of Dentists.
English language
- OET (Dentistry): at least grade B in listening, reading, writing and speaking. You must authorise OET to let the Council verify your results.
- IELTS Academic: at least 7.0 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking.
- Paper-based and computer-based tests are accepted. OET@Home and IELTS Online are not.
- Test certificates must be no more than two years old when you apply for registration.
- Exempt: a primary qualification, or a postgraduate qualification in dentistry of at least three years, taught in English. Show this on your certificate or transcript, or with an original letter from your university confirming the whole programme, including exams, was in English.
- Also accepted: three of the last five years as a fully registered dental professional in a country with English as an official language, shown by a certificate from the competent authority or employer references. The Council decides whether this is enough or whether you need a test.
Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Dental Council Examination for non-EEA dentistsPaid online when you apply. | €1,500Paid online when you apply. |
| Exam repeat fee | €750 |
| Registration application (dentists) | €400 |
| Annual retention fee, dentists2026 rate. Registration period runs from 1 February to 31 January. | €4502026 rate. Registration period runs from 1 February to 31 January. |
| Registration application (dental specialists) | €400 |
| Annual retention fee, dental specialists2026 rate. | €3802026 rate. |
| Late feeIf the retention fee is not paid within two months of renewal. | €300If the retention fee is not paid within two months of renewal. |
| Reissue of annual certificate | €15 |
| IELTS or OET | Set by the test provider |
Timeline
- The Council usually announces the exam application date between November and December for the following year.
- Part 1 typically runs in March or April (Dublin) and Part 2 in June or July (Cork); the two parts are usually about two months apart.
- The exam is held once a year, so a failed attempt usually means waiting for the next year's sitting.
- The Council recommends allowing three months for a registration application.
- Letters of good standing from the Council take 10 working days to issue and are valid for three months.
Questions
Most dentists who qualified outside the EU must pass the Dental Council Examination, which has two parts held in Dublin and Cork. Graduates covered by the mutual recognition agreements with Canada or New Zealand can register directly.
Once a year. In 2026, Part 1 ran in Dublin from 25 to 28 March and Part 2 in Cork from 15 to 18 June. The Council usually announces the next application date between November and December.
For 2026, by random selection among applications received in one week. 80% of places went to dentists already established in Ireland and 20% to applicants outside Ireland. Queuing gives no advantage.
The exam fee for non-EEA dentists is €1,500, with a €750 fee for a repeat. Registration then costs €400 to apply plus a €450 annual retention fee for 2026.
IELTS Academic with at least 7.0 in each of the four modules, or OET for Dentistry at grade B in each. IELTS Online and OET@Home are not accepted.
Not necessarily. The Council accepts proof that your primary qualification was undertaken in English, shown on your transcript or by an original letter from your university confirming the whole programme and exams were in English.
Two attempts at Part 1 and three at Part 2. Missing an exam you are booked for counts as an attempt.
Only with temporary registration, which requires a supervised post under an approved consultant in an approved institution, on an approved postgraduate programme or in a research post in an Irish dental hospital.
Oral surgery and orthodontics. Specialists who are not automatically recognised are assessed by the Council's STAR Committee and must already be on the Register of Dentists.
Sources
Keep exploring
Working in Ireland after registration