Diploma of Specialized Medical Studies (D.E.M.S) in Dental Medicine

The dental medicine training programme in Algeria is designed to train competent dentists with a Diplôme des Etudes Médicales Spécialisées (D.E.M.S), capable of meeting the oral and dental health needs of the population. It is taught in faculties of medicine, in departments of dentistry and in university hospitals, which have departments specialising in dentistry, i.e. periodontics, dentofacial orthopedics, dental prosthetics, conservative dentistry and endodontics, pathology and oral surgery.

Ø    Specialist dental medicine studies in Algeria last four years, culminating in the D.E.M.S diploma

Ø The curriculum includes theoretical and practical teaching with programmes adapted for each year of specialised studies and is validated by the respective national speciality teaching council for each speciality, in collaboration with the three regional speciality teaching councils for the west, centre and east of the country.

1. 1st year of specialised studies:

Objective: To acquire the scientific and theoretical bases necessary for specialised practice in dentistry. This phase focuses on the basic sciences.

Methods:

Teaching activity: in the form of interactive lectures under the responsibility of associate professors in accordance with the official programme, the content of which is laid down by ministerial decree in collaboration with the C.P.N.S. This national programme is based on in-depth fundamental science studies related to the speciality.

Hospital activity: management of clinical cases in accordance with the official programme, the content of which is laid down by ministerial decree in collaboration with the C.P.N.S.

Validation of passage from the 1st year to the 2nd year:

Regional examination in the 3 regions of western, eastern and central Algeria. Takes place in two sessions: normal and catch-up.

2. 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of specialised studies:

Objective: To develop practical and clinical skills while consolidating theoretical knowledge. These 3 years allow entry into specialised clinical practice, where the resident doctor begins to work on cases in his/her dental speciality according to the national programme while learning to manage cases requiring multidisciplinary collaboration between different dental specialities.

Teaching methods:

Teaching activity: Theoretical teaching in the form of interactive lectures under the responsibility of associate professors in accordance with the official programme, including the The content is set by ministerial decree in collaboration with the C.P.N.S. This national programme covers all the theoretical aspects of the speciality according to the latest advances in the field, in addition to the presentation of press reviews on current issues in the world of dentistry.

The resident takes part in theoretical training activities and workshops provided by the dental medicine department for dental medicine students in the graduation cycle.

Hospital activity: management of clinical cases in accordance with the official programme, the content of which is laid down by ministerial decree in collaboration with the C.P.N.S.

3. National examination to obtain the D.E.M.S diploma:

A national examination in two sessions: normal and catch-up.

This examination is used to assess the resident doctor's theoretical and practical skills in the dental speciality.