Dental practice licensing in Georgia is part of the general regulation of medical practice: a dentist is a holder of a medical specialty, and the right to independent practice is confirmed by the same instrument — a state certificate — rather than a separate license. The pillars of this page are Articles 4, 5, 7, 21 and 28 of the Law on Medical Practice. Foreign dental-board licensing models do not operate in the Georgian system — a dentist's path is defined by the Georgian law.
The specialty system and its elements
Under Article 4 of the Law the Ministry determines the list of medical specialties; the list of adjacent medical specialties; and the list of those medical specialties in which a subject of independent medical practice with a given disease is barred from working. Dental specialties are part of precisely this system: a dentist's qualification is established through the list of specialties, and the boundary of the right is measured by the specialty indicated in the certificate. The third list — the enumeration of contraindications — has practical weight: health-status restrictions are verified both in choosing the specialty and throughout the practice itself.
The chain of definitions and the path of preparation
The block of definitions in Article 5 names every stage of a dentist's path. Medical practice is the professional activity of a person trained in medicine, possessing the requisite skills and practical experience, whose aim is the protection, preservation and restoration of human health through the application of recognised medical standards and ethical norms. Independent medical practice is that form of the activity carried out by the holder of a state certificate, who answers personally for its results. Residency is the post-diploma stage of higher medical education pursuing professional training in one of the medical specialties on the basis of a state order — and in dental specialties private funding is admissible. This last circumstance is a significant distinction on the path to dentistry: a state-order limit cannot block that path.
The definition of a specialist physician describes the destination: a person who has completed a residency course in one of the medical specialties and has received a state certificate confirming the right to independent medical practice. Continuous professional development does not end that moment — it continues throughout the entire practice of an independent subject and pursues the maintenance of conformity between theoretical knowledge and practical skills and the achievements of modern medicine. The certificate is thus not the end of the path — it is the beginning of a continuous professional cycle.
The source of the right and the documents of the application
Under Article 7 the right to independent medical practice belongs to a citizen of Georgia or a foreign state or a stateless person who has graduated from a state-accredited higher medical institution and has received a state certificate in the manner established by the law; the right operates only in the specialty indicated in the certificate. Article 21 determines the documents of the application: the seeker's written application; a copy of the diploma; a certificate confirming completion of a postgraduate course — residency or an alternative program; a recommendation from the head of the course or of the institution where the seeker worked; a certificate of the certification examination; and, where they exist, a document confirming an employment relationship and a description of the works carried out over the last 2 years in the relevant specialty.
The examination
Under Article 28 the state certification examination is unified and standardised throughout the country. A person is admitted who has completed a postgraduate education course in the relevant specialty in Georgia or in a country provided for by the list established by the law. Upon a negative assessment the examination may be retaken within the following year only twice, with a 6-month interval between examinations.
A practical certification plan
A dentist's certification plan takes shape as a sequence of steps: confirmation of the diploma; the choice of a dental specialty from the Ministry's list; completion of residency — with the possibility of private funding; the passing of the unified certification examination; and the submission of the application with the Article 21 package. Every step rests on a specific norm, and knowing that support protects the dentist from superfluous decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Below are the questions most frequently raised about dental practice certification.
Does a separate dental license exist?
No — a dentist's right is confirmed by a state certificate, with an indication of the specialty, under the general rules of medical practice.
Who determines the list of specialties?
The Ministry — under Article 4, together with the lists of adjacent specialties and contraindications.
May residency be privately funded?
Yes — in dental specialties private funding is admissible under Article 5.
How often may the examination be retaken?
Twice within one year, with a 6-month interval — under Article 28.
How We Help on Legal.ge
The specialists of Legal.ge assist dentists on the certification path — through the lens of Articles 4, 5, 7, 21 and 28 of the Law: we establish the specialty track, prepare the application and coordinate the stages of residency and examination. Submit a request on this page — let us begin your certification plan.