Metric · Workforce
Dental schools total: market comparison
Number of dental schools / faculties granting a first dental degree (DDS/DMD/BDS equivalent)
Dental Market Radar Editorial Team · Updated · Data as of
Across 10 of 12 markets with a value, the highest lead value for dental schools total is Japan at 29 schools and the lowest is Qatar at 1 schools. Bases differ by market, so read the comparability rating beside each value.
Key points
Cite this
Dental Market Radar (dentalmarketradar.com), Dental schools total comparison, https://dentalmarketradar.com/metrics/dental-schools-total/
Permanent URL: https://dentalmarketradar.com/metrics/dental-schools-total/. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Definition
Number of dental schools / faculties granting a first dental degree (DDS/DMD/BDS equivalent) Unit: schools. Category: Workforce.
Chart
Comparison table
| Market | Lead value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Calculation | Source | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 29 schools | other | Comparability B | Derived. Derived by counting distinct faculty labels in the MEXT chart: national 11 (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Institute of Science Tokyo, Niigata, Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Tokushima, Kyushu, Nagasaki, Kagoshima), public 1 (Kyushu Dental), private 17… | MEXT survey of dental faculties: enrolment fill rate and competition (FY2023-25 average) | Value | |
| Thailand | 18 schools | licensed | Comparability A | Educational institutions accredited by the Dental Council in 2026 (DDS programmes) | Value | ||
| Saudi Arabia | 18 schools (stale) | other (public universities only) | Comparability B | Derived. Derived: count of the dental colleges listed = 18 (5,462 students enrolled). Private dental colleges are excluded; the national total is higher. Lead: Ministry of Education list of private colleges. | Statistical Yearbook 2023 (bilingual Arabic/English, 1445H) | Value (stale) | |
| Vietnam | 17 schools | other | Comparability A | Results of management of training and distribution of dentists ... Ho Chi Minh City, 2023 (Nguyen Duc Hue et al.) | Value | ||
| Malaysia | 13 schools | other | Comparability B | Derived. Derived: distinct institutions with a BDS/DDS row = AIMST, IMU, IIUM, Lincoln, MAHSA, Manipal (MUCM), Penang International Dental College, SEGi, UKM, USIM, USM (Kampus Kesihatan), UiTM Shah Alam, University of Malaya = 13. MQR keeps… | Malaysian Qualifications Register (MQR) | Value | |
| Australia | 9 schools | registered | Comparability A | Derived. Derived: count of distinct universities among the 10 dentist-qualifying programs listed (UQ has two). Adelaide University took over the University of Adelaide BDS from 1 Jan 2026. List read 2026-11-09; 64 programs listed in total across… | Accredited Programs List (dental practitioner programs) | Value | |
| Taiwan | 7 schools | other | Comparability A | Derived. Derived: count of distinct schools with a 牙醫學系 bachelor-level (B 學士) department in academic year 114 = 7 (NTU, NCKU, NYCU, KMU, TMU, CSMU, CMU). Same 7 in academic years 112 and 113. Chang Gung and Tzu Chi appear only with oral-science… | MOE open data: university/college profile by school and department (students, teachers, previous-year graduates), file sdata.csv | Value | |
| Singapore | 1 schools (stale) | other | Comparability A | Derived. Derived: count of institutions = 1 (source states NUS Faculty of Dentistry is 'Singapore’s only dental school'; no numeral in text). Statement dated 2019; still consistent in 2024 with SingStat M850511 (only one dentistry first-degree… | NUHS media release: NUCOHS official opening (5 July 2019) | Value (stale) | |
| New Zealand | 1 schools | registered | Comparability A | Derived. Derived: the only dentist-qualifying programme (BDS and BDS Honours) is at the University of Otago. Auckland University of Technology offers oral health (not dentistry). | Dental Council Annual Report 2024/25 (register and APC data at 31 March 2025) | Value | |
| Qatar | 1 schools | other | Comparability B | Derived. Derived: QU College of Dental Medicine is the only dental college found; the page says it is 'the first dental college in Qatar' (not 'the only'). No other dental degree programme in Qatar was found. | Qatar University College of Dental Medicine: Dean's message | Value | |
| South Korea | No figure found why Number of dental colleges/schools: previous value (11) came from the quarantined MOHW document; no allowed source located. | not stated | Comparability not rated | Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics (licensing / medical institution statistics) | Not available | ||
| United Arab Emirates | No figure found why No reliable figure found. University pages show accredited BDS programmes at least at Gulf Medical University, City University Ajman, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University and Ajman University;… | other | Comparability C | WHO Global Health Observatory API: NHWA dentists (HWF_0011) and dental expenditure, United Arab Emirates | Not available |
The headline record leads where one is designated; its basis (for example practising or licensed) and comparability rating are shown next to every value. Per-capita values use the denominator named in the calculation (World Bank total population, same year). Money is shown in US$ at the market exchange rate with local currency beside it.
Markets with no figure
These markets have no published or reliable figure for dental schools total. We state why and do not estimate.
- South Korea: No figure found (gap), we searched and found nothing. See the data record.
- United Arab Emirates: No figure found (gap), we searched and found nothing. See the data record.
Comparability notes
A: same definition as the metric. B: close to the metric definition; the difference is noted. C: different basis; use with caution when comparing.
- Taiwan: Schools running a first-degree 牙醫學系 bachelor programme in MOE records
- Japan: Faculties of dentistry (6-year dental course) surveyed by MEXT
- Singapore: Institutions offering a registrable basic dental degree (BDS)
- Malaysia: Institutions with an accredited first-degree dental programme (Bachelor/Doctor of Dental Surgery) on the Malaysian Qualifications Register
- Thailand: Thai institutions whose DDS (ทันตแพทยศาสตรบัณฑิต) programme is accredited by the Dental Council for the 2026 intake
- Vietnam: Universities with a Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology (Khoa RHM) training the 6-year Bác sĩ Răng Hàm Mặt degree
- Australia: Universities with an ADC-accredited, Dental Board-approved program whose graduates are eligible to register as a Dentist
- New Zealand: Providers of a Dental Council-accredited programme leading to registration as a dentist
- Saudi Arabia: Dentistry colleges at public universities with enrolled students in 2022-23
- United Arab Emirates: Dental schools (no official list fetched)
- Qatar: Dental degree-granting colleges in Qatar
What does Dental schools total measure?
Number of dental schools / faculties granting a first dental degree (DDS/DMD/BDS equivalent) Unit: schools.
Which market has the highest dental schools total?
Japan had 29 dental schools in 2025, according to MEXT survey of dental faculties. It is the highest lead value; other markets use different bases, so compare with care.
Which markets have no figure for dental schools total?
No figure is available for South Korea (we searched and found nothing); United Arab Emirates (we searched and found nothing). We do not estimate missing figures.
How many markets have data for dental schools total?
10 of 12 markets have a sourced value for dental schools total.