Background The global landscape of dental education is evolving rapidly, driven by the increasing mobility of dental professionals and the growing demand for standardized qualifications across borders. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the dental qualification examination systems in Japan and China, focusing on their legal frameworks, examination structures, and evolving trends in dental education. Methods This study uses examination guidelines and score analyses from China's National Oral Practitioner Qualification Examination Committee and Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Through literature and comparative research, it analyzes recent reforms in oral practitioner exams in both countries and explores future trends in oral physician talent training, focusing on examination content, cognition, and priorities. Results Through the study of the current status and future development trends of the examination system in China and Japan, it is found that although the qualification standards and examination forms are different, they are all guided by job competency and examine the clinical diagnosis and treatment ability and the basic requirements for physician access. In the context of globalization and aging society, increasing comprehensive health management and preventive health care to cope with the aging society, the application of traditional Chinese medicine in oral treatment, and international health issues accompanying medical globalization will become future development trends. Conclusion The findings suggest that while both countries share similar competency standards, there is potential for harmonizing licensure procedures and examination formats to support a more globally interconnected dental workforce.
Tang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.