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ZApprO (German dental licensing regulation)

The ZApprO is the licensing regulation for dentists in Germany. Since 2021 it has set out the structure, content and examinations of the dentistry degree: a standard period of study of five years and three parts of the state dental examination.

Short form of Zahnärztliche Approbationsordnung, the German licensing regulation for dentists

Approbationsordnung für Zahnärzte (licensing regulation for dentists)

German dental licensing regulation

The ZApprO replaced the licensing regulation of 1955 and came into force for the 2021/22 winter semester. Its core changes are closer integration of preclinical and clinical teaching, more emphasis on scientific work, and three examination parts instead of two.

The change matters if you transfer back: if you move from a university abroad to a German faculty, you are placed under the ZApprO, so the credit you receive for work already done can turn out differently than it did before 2021.

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