HONG KONG/LEIPZIG, Germany: Private dentists in Malaysia are soon required to participate in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme in order to continue practising. Through the scheme, which is an addition to the Malaysia Dental Act of 1971, those dentists will be able collect points by attending CPD seminars and participating in other CPD learning activities organised by the Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) in collaboration with the country’s Ministry of Health.

According to MDA president Dr Lee Soon Boon, the new scheme was developed to further advance the quality and standard of dental care in Malaysia. Speaking at the 17th FDI/MDA Scientific Convention and Trade Exhibition in Petaling Jaya in January, he said CPD is essential for dental practitioners to maintain and improve their knowledge and skills throughout their working life.

“CPD has been compulsory for dentists in the civil service for the past five years and we believe that expanding the scheme to private dentists will greatly benefit the profession,” he said. Currently, more than 50 per cent of Malaysian dentists work in the private sector.

Although a specific guideline has not been officially announced, the new scheme could also recognise points collected in other parts of the region, Dr Lee told Dental Tribune Online. He added that his organisation has already established transnational cooperation with the Singapore Dental Association and has been invited to be an accredited CPD provider for Singaporean dentists and oral-health therapists.

Dr Lee also said that the FDI/MDA convention was the first MDA-organised CPD event to be accredited by the Singapore Dental Council and Ministry of Health.