Nefesh BNefesh

Places of Employment | Knowledge of Hebrew | Finding Work | License Recognition for General Dentistry | Overview of the Licensing Exam | License Recognition for Specialists | Syllabus for Licensing Exams | Sample Exam | Interview with a Dentist

Disclaimer: Misrad Habriut regulations are subject to change without advance notice and are constantly changing. For the most current information regarding licensing procedures, please see Misrad Habriut's site. Nefesh B’Nefesh does not take responsibility for inaccuracies on the site or changes to the law.

For direct links to the dentistry licensing pages on the Misrad Habriut site, please see: Misrad Habriut Licensing for Health Professions (Links)

Places of Employment

About 85% of all dentists in Israel work in private clinics or in group practice. Other employment opportunities include kupot holim, school clinics, kibbutzim and hospitals. Dentists working in public institutions are allowed to work in private clinics as well.

For general information about dentistry, visit:

• Israel Dental Association: http://www.ida.org.il/   

• Israel Dentist: http://www.israeldentist.com/

Additional Resources

HaHistadrut LeRefuat Shinayim BeYisrael
9 Kikar Tzina
Dizengoff Square
Tel Aviv 63566
Phone 03 528 8054

Knowledge of Hebrew

A good working knowledge of Hebrew is essential. It is strongly advised to take Ulpan upon arrival. Even where dentists work entirely with English speakers, it is still necessary to deal with the various agencies that make up the Israeli medical network. When you first arrive in Israel, it is worthwhile shadowing an Israeli dentist (though this is not required). This provides an opportunity to learn the technical language that you won’t necessarily gain in ulpan. In addition, some of the materials used in Israeli dental offices differ from what is used abroad. Finally, there are cultural differences that must be explored, such as the expectations of Israeli patients and how Israeli clinics operate. There is also the possibility that the person you shadow will eventually offer you a job.

Finding Work

The best way to find a job in dentistry is by networking and directly contacting clinics. Contact any dentists that you know and make personal connections with other dentists. Look up local clinics in your phone book and call them. For a list of dentists online see http://www.ida.org.il Most clinics don’t advertise, and job vacancies are filled by word of mouth.

Professional conferences are an excellent way of gaining professional contacts. The Israel Dental Association has an annual conference, and specialists each have their own conferences. In addition, some companies selling dental products hold conferences.

Finally, job vacancies are sometimes listed by the Israel Dental Association. For details see www.ida.org.il.

License Recognition for General Dentistry

In order to practice in Israel, all dentists must pass a licensing exam. There are no exemptions. The exam is held twice a year. It may be possible to take the exam in English, provided that there are a sufficient number of candidates. You may take the exam before receiving Oleh status, but it is necessary to obtain Oleh status within two years of the exam in order to receive a license.

Preparatory courses for the exam are offered when there are a minimum number of participants, and Misrad Haklita (Ministry of Absorption) may provide a small stipend for the duration of studies.

Successful completion of a Hebrew proficiency exam is a necessary prerequisite for the course.

To register for the exam, dentists should apply to Misrad Habriut (Ministry of Health), Department of Medical Professions (HaYechida LeMiktzo’ot Refu’im):

Jerusalem:
2 Rehov Ben Tabai
POB 1176
Jerusalem 91010
Phone: 02 670 5820
Fax: 02 679 0846

Requests must be filed no later than 30 days prior to the exam date, however, it is recommended that you begin the registration process 3 to 4 months prior to the exam.

Fees for each part of the exam must be paid at a branch of the Postal Bank (Bank HaDoar).

The following documents are necessary:

• 3 passport photos.
• 3 photocopies of Israeli identity card, including the address stub and/or photocopy of passport with valid authorization for living in Israel.
• Final diploma in dentistry from a recognized university or certification from a university of completion of studies, completion of all requirements for the university, and entitlement to a degree in dentistry to be awarded on a certain date.
• Official confirmation of beginning and ending date of studies.
• For overseas graduates – license to practice dentistry abroad (in the event that the requested license cannot be attached, attach a letter of explanation).
• For overseas graduates – official work permits in dentistry from the appropriate institutions, and notations regarding the starting and ending dates of work at each institution (in the relevant cases – a work card).
• For overseas graduates: professional letter of good standing from the authorized bodies in the country from which the applicant immigrated to Israel. The letter confirms that there are no, and have not been any, disciplinary, negligence or professional ethics complaints against the dentist.
• Israel Police confirmation of the absence of criminal records (or alternatively: details of the existing criminal records in the applicant’s name). In the absence of confirmation, the Medical Professionals Licensing Division will contact the police to receive the confirmation.
• Registration form (in 3 copies).

To receive a license to practice dentistry in Israel, graduates of institutions recognized to teach this profession overseas must successfully pass the government licensing examinations in dentistry in Israel. You must fill out a form, requesting to take the dental exam. The form is available at the Misrad Habriut offices or online.

You must also fill out an application form.

Note: All of the documents need translation and notarization. The original notarized copy and 2 photocopies of the translation should be attached.

Misrad Habriut now offers a new customer call center to answer questions about licensing for health care professionals. Call *5400 from Israel or 972-8-6241010 from abroad. The center operates Sunday through Thursday, 8am-6pm, and Fridays from 8am-1pm, Israel time.

Overview of the Licensing Exam

For details of the exam, see the Misrad HaBriut web site at: http://www.health.gov.il. Dates of part 1 of the exam are listed online at: http://147.237.77.238/Subjects/MedicalAndHealthProfessions/Dentistry/Pages/syllabus.aspx. Part 2 of the dental exam will take place on Sunday and Monday, April 15th and 16th.

Topics covered in the licensing exam include:

• Diagnosis, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology
• Local anesthetics, and medical and dental emergency treatment
• Restorative and reconstructive dentistry, and dental materials
• Pedodontics
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery
• Endodontics
• Application of basic sciences (microbiology, physiology, etc.)

The exam includes three sections:

• Part 1: Written examination which lasts approximately 4 hours, involving multiple choice questions. It is highly recommended that you be in touch with someone who has recently taken the exam to find out more about what is included. Write to employment@nbn.org.il for assistance. You must receive notification that you passed the written exam before you can continue with the rest of the exam (parts 2 and 3).
• Part 2: Questions about slides, including orthodontics, questions about decay, x-rays, and correct diagnosis of oral lesions. Click here to view an old version of this part of the exam.
• Part 3: Practical exam using a dental manikin, which includes one or more of the following: artificial fillings, beginning of root treatment, crowns (including prepping for a crown). There is a specified time limit. This part of the exam is taken together with Part 2.

Note that if you take a preparatory course before taking the exam, you will have an opportunity to practice working with artificial teeth.

License Recognition for Specialists

The following specializations are recognized in Israel: Endodontics, Oral medicine, Oral pathology, Oral and maxillofacial surgery, Orthodontics, Pedodontics, Periodontics and Public health dentistry.

Specialists must first successfully complete the dental licensing exam. One can then approach the Dental Scientific Council:

Scientific Council
Rehov Yaffo 97
Jerusalem 94340
Phone: 03 528 8054

Each specialization has its own licensing requirements. For a list of specialists see: http://www.ida.org.il

Syllabus for National Licensing Examinations in Dentistry

1- Diagnosis
* Langlais RP, Bricker SL, Cotton JA and Baker BR: Oral Diagnosis, Oral Medecine and Treatment Planning, WB Saunders Co., Philadelphia, last ed.
* Sharav Y. Orofacial Pain. in Wall PB and Melzack R (eds): Textbook of pain. Churchill Livingstone, last ed,. 1989

2- Oral medicine
* Wood NK. and Goaz PW. Differential Diagnosis of Oral Lesions. CV. Mosby, St. Louis, 4 th ed., 1991.

3- Oral radiology
* Goaz PW. and White SC. Oral Radiologie - Principles and Interpretation, CV. Mosby , St. Louis, 2 nd ed, 1987

4- Oral Pathology
* Regezi JA and Sciubba JJ. Oral Pathology. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, last ed.

5- Medical emergencies in the dental office
* Little JW and Falace DA. Dental Management of the Medically Compromised Patient. CV Mosby Co., St. Louis, last ed.

6- Conservative dentistry
* Baun, Phillips and Lund. Textbook of Operative Dentistry. WB Saunders, 2 nd ed 1985.
* Newbrun E. Cariology. Quintessence Publishing Co., Berlin, third ed., 1987

7- Occlusion
* Kraus BS, Jordan RE, Abrams LA. Dental Anatomy and occlusion, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, last ed.

8- Full denture
* Hickey CJ, Zarb GA, Bolender CL. Baucher’s Prosthodontics for edentulous Patients. CV Mosby Co., St. Louis, 1990.

9- Removable partial denture
* Henderson D, Mc Givney GP, Castelberry DJ. Mc Cracken’s Partial Removable Prosthodontics, CV Mosby Co., St. Louis, 1985.

10- Fixed partial dentures
* Schillinburg HT, Hobo S, Whitestti LD : Fundamentals of Fixed Prosthodontic.
Quintessence Publishing Co., Berlin, 1987.

11- Dental materials
* Craig RG. Restorative Dental Materials, CV Mosby Co. last ed.

12- Pedodontics
* Wei Shy. Pediatric care - total patient care, Lea & Fabiger, last ed.

13- Development and growth
* Moyers RE. Handbook of Orthodontics, Year Book Medical Publishers, last ed.

14- Oral surgery and anesthesia
* Kruger Go. Textbook of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. WB Saunders Co., Philadelphia, last ed.

15- Periodontics
* Genco RJ, Goldman, Cohen DW. Contemporary Periodontics. CV Mosby, St. Louis, last ed.
* Carranza AC, Newman MG. Clinical Periodontology. WB Saunders Co,. London, last ed.

16- Endodontics
* Walton RE, Torabinejad M. Principles of Endodontics. WB Saunders Co., Philadelphia, last ed.

17- Implementation of knowledge
* Bashkar SN. Orban’s Oral Histology and Embriology. last ed.
* Nolte WA. Oral Microbiology. CV Mosby Co., St. Louis, 1982.

18- Law
* The dentist ordinance 1978.

19- Ethics
* By- laws of the Israeli Dental Association (chapiter b,c,d) 1983.
* Beauchamp TL and Childress JF Principle of Biomedical Ethics, third ed, New York Oxford University Press 1994.
* Weinstein BD. Dental Ethics. Lea and Febinger, Philadelphia 1993.

Special thanks to Laura L. Woolf, Chief Editor of English Language Publications at the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption. An additional thank you to Dr. Ofira Michaelson for her invaluable assistance. Dr. Michaelson works in private dental clinics in Jerusalem and Efrat.

Interview with Dr. Ari Greenspan
Thank you to Dr. Ari Greenspan for participating in this interview. You can find more information about dentistry in Israel at www.Israeldentist.com, and you can learn more about Dr. Greenspan’s practice at www.Greenspandental.com. If you have further questions, please be in touch with Dr. Greenspan at ari@tekhelet.com.

What is your current position?
I am a dentist in a private practice.

Does it make any difference whether you studied in Israel or abroad?
I have found that the dental education is better abroad. Regardless of where you studied, you need to pass the Israeli dental boards and get an Israeli license. This is a little difficult for older dentists because the test has a lot of the basic sciences that you learn at the beginning of dental school.

What are the benefits of working as a dentist?

• In general, when you have your own business, you can control your own hours.
• Being situated in Israel, we have the advantage of being near Europe, and we often get products or techniques from Europe before America.
• Dentists have the potential to earn a good salary in Israel, in comparison to salaries in other fields.

What is the salary range?
If you are working for someone else full time, you earn 7-15,000 shekels a month (full time). If you are working privately, you earn between 10-25,000 shekels a month.

How is dentistry in Israel different than America?

• There are a limited number of orthodontists in Israel.
• You can do more in Israel as a general dentist. Israel has more dental implants per capita than any western country. Whereas in America, general dentists don’t do surgery; here, more American dentists can do surgery and implants.
• Dental work is also cheaper in Israel, so some people from abroad get their dental work done in Israel.

Is there a professional organization in your field?
There is the Israel Dental Association, http://www.ida.org.il/. I am also part of an Anglo-Saxon dental study club; we have a discussion list in Israel, and we bring in different speakers. Many of the speakers on the world lecture circuit for dentistry are Jewish. We bring them in, when they are visiting Israel.

What recommendations can you offer Olim interested in working in this field?
It is hard to set yourself up ahead of time. Once you make Aliyah and have an Israeli license, it will be much easier to find a job. It is important to know Hebrew to be able to communicate with patients.

Do you have any advice for students interested in going into dentistry?
Dentistry is a great opportunity. There are a lot of opportunities in the field. It’s hard to get started, but once you do -- it’s great!

How do you feel about working and living here in Israel?
In a million years, I wouldn’t change what I have here. I love the fact my office is a multinational place. There’s a certain multiculturalism that exists in Jerusalem that is unique and exciting.

Other advice?
The overall quality of dentistry is poor. If you have good dental skills and people skills, there is a lot of opportunity here.