How many dentists are there in Turkey? The latest count is 54,062 active dentists in 2024, or about 63 for every 100,000 people, according to the Council of European Dentists, known as CED. If you’ve also seen 45,718, that isn’t a mistake. It’s the 2023 total from the World Health Organization, known as WHO, and both numbers are right for what they measure.
In this guide from Prof Clinic in Istanbul, you’ll find the 2010–2024 trend, dental schools, specialist numbers and a European comparison. By the end, you’ll know which figure to quote and what the numbers mean when you choose a dentist.
We checked every figure on 9 October 2026. The Sources note at the end explains the few we calculated ourselves.
How Many Dentists Are There in Turkey? Ten Key Findings
The workforce has more than doubled since 2010 and is still growing, because dental schools admit far more students than they graduate. Here are the ten findings people quote most:
- 54,062 active dentists in 2024. Of these, 31,445 worked in the private sector (58.2%) and 22,617 in the public sector (41.8%).
- More than double since 2010. The headcount rose from 21,432 to 45,718 by 2023, about 6.0% a year.
- Faster since 2015. About 3,400 dentists were added in 2010–2015, about 10,000 in 2015–2020 and about 10,900 in 2020–2023.
- 63 dentists per 100,000 people in 2024 according to CED, against 29 in 2010 according to WHO.
- 105 dental faculties by 2023, up from 19 in 2002, says the Turkish Dental Association, known as TDB.
- First-year places up about twelvefold since 2003: 929 in 2003 and 11,254 in 2023 according to TDB, then 12,920 in 2024 according to CED.
- Intake about 80% above graduation: 12,920 students admitted a year against 7,158 graduates.
- About 13% are specialists: 7,022 across nine recognised fields.
- Specialty training is competitive: applicants per place rose from 4.16 in 2015 to 10.07 in the second 2025 exam.
- 8,532 international students in Turkish dental programmes in 2024–25, according to CED.
Why Do Sources Give Different Numbers of Dentists in Turkey?
Because each source counts a slightly different group of dentists on a different date. They can all be right. The confusion is common, and nobody has made an error.
One simple habit keeps you safe: the Three-Label Rule. Before you use any dentist figure, label it with who is counted, which year and which source. A number missing one of the three can’t be compared with another.
Here’s how the four main figures line up:
- WHO, 2023: 45,718. The national total Turkey reports to WHO.
- Eurostat, 2020: 34,830. “Professionally active” dentists. Its Turkish series matches WHO’s for 2010–2020, where it stops.
- TDB, 2022–23: 49,305. “Active working dentists” from the association’s own booklets, a professional-body count rather than a ministry total.
- CED, 2024: 54,062. Active dentists in the private and public sectors.
CED’s 2024 figure is 18% above WHO’s 2023 figure. No single year in the WHO series grew by more than 14.4%, so the gap most likely comes from a different definition or data source.
What it means in real life: use WHO for the 2010–2023 trend, CED for the latest snapshot, and never calculate a growth rate across the two.
How Fast Has the Number of Dentists in Turkey Grown?
Quickly, and in three phases: a plateau until 2014, steady growth to 2020, then a sharp rise from 2021. The table shows selected years from WHO’s series, with CED’s 2024 count on its own row.
| Year | Dentists | Per 100,000 people | Change on the year before | In plain words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 21,432 | 29.2 | n/a | Starting point |
| 2014 | 22,996 | 29.5 | +3.1% | Barely moved in four years |
| 2015 | 24,834 | 31.0 | +8.0% | Growth picks up |
| 2020 | 34,830 | 40.5 | +5.8% | About 10,000 added since 2015 |
| 2021 | 39,851 | 46.0 | +14.4% | Biggest one-year jump (+5,021) |
| 2022 | 42,359 | 48.7 | +6.3% | Growth settles at 6–8% |
| 2023 | 45,718 | 52.4 | +7.9% | Latest WHO figure |
| 2024, CED figure | 54,062 | 63 | not comparable | Different counting method |
From 2010 to 2014 the headcount barely moved, and density stayed near 29 per 100,000 because population growth kept pace. From 2015 annual growth mostly ran at 5–10%, with one jump of 14.4% in 2021. That fits the first graduates of faculties opened in the 2000s entering the workforce.
How Many Dental Schools Are There in Turkey?
Turkey had 105 dental faculties by 2023, up from 19 in 2002. CED counts 75 public and 30 private in 2024. The total depends on what you include, because a faculty can be set up years before it admits its first students. In 2023 only 91 of the 105 admitted any.
The bigger story is first-year places: 929 in 2003, 1,868 in 2010, 4,405 in 2017 and 11,254 in 2023. The 2024 intake was 12,920. Treat single-year figures as approximate; the scale of the rise is clear.
Dentistry takes five years, including an internship year, according to CED. So today’s graduates started in about 2019, when there were 6,421 places. Now 12,920 students enrol each year and 7,158 graduate, a gap of 5,762. Per 100,000 people, that’s 15.1 entrants against 8.4 graduates. Anyone admitted in 2022 starts graduating in 2027.
What it means in real life: growth in the late 2020s is largely decided by who enrolled in 2022–2024. TDB projects a total approaching 100,000 dentists if every current student graduates. That’s a projection from the profession’s association, not an official forecast.
Teaching capacity. Academic staff haven’t kept pace with places. TDB counted 2,599 professors and assistant professors in 2022–23 against 2,663 the year before, and 13 faculties had no professor. That points to strain on training capacity. It says nothing about any individual graduate.
International students. In 2024–25, 8,532 international students were enrolled, and 58 faculties accept foreign applicants, according to CED. Studying in Turkey doesn’t give you the right to practise there.
How Many Dentists in Turkey Are Specialists?
About 13%. In 2023, 7,022 dentists held one of nine recognised specialist titles. That’s 8.2 per 100,000 people, calculated from CED’s data. Entry is through the national Dental Specialty Examination (DUS), held twice a year, followed by three or four years of training. You can see a specialist without a referral.
The nine fields in 2023:
- Prosthodontics: 1,292 (3 years of training)
- Orthodontics: 1,238 (4 years)
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery: 1,128 (4 years)
- Periodontology: 934 (3 years)
- Paediatric dentistry: 805 (3 years)
- Endodontics: 735 (3 years)
- Restorative dentistry: 564 (3 years)
- Oral and maxillofacial radiology: 319 (4 years)
- Oral pathology: 7 (3 years, introduced in 2018)
Why this matters to you: implantology and cosmetic dentistry aren’t among the nine recognised specialties. When a clinic calls a dentist an “implant specialist” or “smile design specialist”, it’s describing experience or training, not a recognised title. That doesn’t make the dentist unqualified. It means you should ask about their training and case experience.
The share of specialists won’t rise quickly. Specialty places roughly tripled between 2015 and 2025, from 555 to 1,681, yet a 2026 study in Frontiers in Medicine found that applicants per place still climbed from 4.16 to 10.07. The 1,606 places of 2024 equal only about 22% of that year’s graduates.
Wondering who would plan and place your implants or veneers? Message us with photos or X-rays, and ask which dentist would treat you and what training they have.
Does Turkey Have More Dentists per Person Than Europe?
No, not compared with most of Europe. Turkey’s density in 2023 was 52.4 per 100,000, close to the UK’s 50.8 and well below Germany, Poland, Bulgaria and Greece. The table uses WHO’s series for every country, so one counting method sits behind the comparison.
| Country | Dentists per 100,000 (2023) | Compared with Turkey | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 135.9 | 2.59 times | |
| Bulgaria | 112.9 | 2.15 times | |
| Poland | 95.1 | 1.81 times | |
| Germany | 84.4 | 1.61 times | |
| Hungary | 75.6 | 1.44 times | |
| Spain | 64.8 | 1.24 times | Fell from 84.7 (2021) to 60.1 (2022), likely a change of definition |
| Turkey, CED figure (2024) | 63 | 1.20 times | Different source and year |
| Turkey, WHO figure (2023) | 52.4 | 1.00 | |
| United Kingdom | 50.8 | 0.97 times |
Three points help you read the table fairly. First, countries count differently, so gaps of 10–20% can come down to definitions. Gaps of 50–150%, such as Turkey against Germany or Greece, are too big for that. Second, Turkey rose from 29 per 100,000 in 2010 to the UK’s level by 2023. Third, a national average hides the gap between big cities and rural provinces. On CED’s numbers, there is about one dentist for every 1,580 people nationally.
Do Most Dentists in Turkey Work in Private Practice?
Yes: 58.2% did in 2024, which is 31,445 of 54,062. CED also describes a rising private share, a falling average age and a growing female share, now 46%. Public hiring hasn’t kept pace with graduation. TDB said in a press statement on 20 March 2024 that the year’s central appointment round offered only 286 dentist positions, against roughly 7,000 graduates a year. So most new dentists enter private practice.
Two registrations are worth knowing. Private-sector dentists must join their regional TDB chamber within one month of opening a practice, and TDB had 40,765 members on 1 August 2025. Every dentist must also register in the Ministry of Health’s Dental Informatics System, which requires Turkish citizenship, legal residence and Turkish fluency.
Practical tip: ask any clinic which regional chamber your dentist belongs to. It’s a quick, fair question.
Does the Number of Dentists Affect Dental Tourism?
Not as a limit, no. Official data record 1,506,442 health tourists in 2024, covering all specialties. CED’s chapter puts the total at about 2 million, with roughly a quarter coming for dental care, but gives no source. No official figure counts dental visitors alone, so treat any dental-only number as an estimate. Our guide to Turkey’s health tourism statistics covers the visitor and revenue figures in detail.
Even at the higher claim, about 500,000 dental visitors would mean roughly 9 foreign patients per active dentist a year (500,000 ÷ 54,062, an illustration only). Patients don’t spread evenly, though. CED names Istanbul and Ankara as the main destinations, so what matters is the capacity of clinics in a few cities.
A bigger workforce says little about the skill of any one dentist. Many people worry that fast growth means weaker training, and the numbers can’t settle that. About 87% of dentists hold no recognised specialist title, and experienced general dentists provide many complex treatments themselves.
How Do You Choose a Dentist in Turkey Using These Numbers?
Treat the workforce data as a list of questions, not a verdict on any clinic. These six checks work anywhere, and none of them guarantees a result. Our guide to the safety risks of bad clinics adds the warning signs to look for.
What to ask your dentist:
- Name and title: Who exactly will treat me, and what title do they hold? Check any “specialist” claim against the nine recognised fields. You can meet our team on the medical team page.
- Match to treatment: Is a recognised specialist involved in my case? For complex dental implants or bone grafting and sinus lift, ask whether an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, periodontologist or prosthodontist takes part, and who plans the final teeth.
- Case experience: How many similar cases has this dentist completed, and can I see consented examples?
- Chamber membership: Which regional TDB chamber is the dentist registered with?
- Authorisation for international patients: Is the clinic on the Ministry of Health’s list of authorised healthcare providers, or working with an authorised facilitator?
- Plan basis: Is my plan based on an examination? Photos and X-rays support a preliminary assessment, but the final plan comes after a clinical examination and may change.
What Does Prof Clinic Offer in Istanbul?
We’re based in the Bahçelievler district of Istanbul. Besides dental implants, we offer E-max and zirconia veneers, the Hollywood smile and our other dental treatments. You can send photos or X-rays for a free online consultation. The final plan still belongs to the treating dentist after an examination.
Medical note. This page gives statistical information for general education. It isn’t medical advice and doesn’t assess any individual dentist or clinic. Treatment suitability needs an examination by a qualified dentist. Figures come from third-party sources and may be revised by their publishers.
The number of dentists in Turkey shouldn’t decide your choice. The individual dentist should: their title, their training for your treatment, and a plan built on a clinical examination. Before you decide, with us or anyone else, put the six checks to the clinic, and get the treating dentist’s name and role in writing before you pay a deposit.
Ready to see how a plan would work for your case? Ask us on WhatsApp or book an assessment, and ask how it would run from first visit to final restoration.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Number of Dentists in Turkey
How many dentists are there in Turkey now?
The latest published count is 54,062 active dentists, for 2024, according to CED. With about 7,000 graduates a year, today’s number is probably higher. WHO’s series ends at 45,718 for 2023, so check the source and year before repeating a figure.
How many dental schools are there in Turkey?
There were 105 dental faculties in 2024: 75 public and 30 private. Not all admit students, and TDB counted 91 that did in 2023, so check whether a source counts established faculties or teaching ones.
Does Turkey have too many dentists?
It depends on the yardstick. TDB says yes, pointing to intake above 11,000 a year, limited public hiring and stretched teaching staff. Against Europe, density of 63 per 100,000 is still below Greece, Bulgaria, Poland and Germany. Both views fit the numbers: the comparison with Europe looks at today, while TDB’s view projects intake forward.
What percentage of dentists in Turkey are specialists?
About 13%: 7,022 specialists in 2023 against 54,062 active dentists in 2024, calculated from CED’s data. The three largest groups are prosthodontists, orthodontists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
Can foreign dentists work in Turkey?
Not automatically. CED says registration requires Turkish citizenship, legal residence and Turkish fluency. Foreign students can study dentistry there (8,532 did in 2024–25), but a Turkish degree alone doesn’t give foreign graduates the right to practise.
Why do websites quote different numbers of dentists in Turkey?
They use different sources and definitions: WHO’s total was 45,718 for 2023, TDB’s 49,305 for 2022–23 and CED’s 54,062 for 2024. Check the year and definition before you repeat a figure.
How many dentists in Turkey work in private practice?
About 58%: 31,445 of 54,062 active dentists in 2024, with 22,617 in the public sector, according to CED. TDB’s own split, published without a year, is close: 59.29% work in private practice alone.
Sources
- Council of European Dentists (2026), European Manual of Dental Practice, Türkiye chapter
- WHO (2025), Global Health Observatory, “Dentists (number)”, Türkiye
- WHO (2025), Global Health Observatory, “Dentists (per 10,000)”, Türkiye and comparison countries
- Eurostat (2024), Health personnel, dentists, Türkiye
- TDB (2024), Dişhekimliğinde İnsangücü Planlaması
- TDB (2024), Basın Açıklaması, 20 March 2024
- Çubukcu Özekin (2026), Rising competition in postgraduate dental training in Türkiye
- USHAŞ (2026), Health Tourism Data
- Ministry of Health (2026), Healthcare Providers Authorized by the Ministry
- Ministry of Health (2026), Facilitators Authorized by the Ministry
- WHO (2025), Global Health Observatory, “Dentists (per 10,000)”, United Kingdom
