Dentists’ migration to and from Hungary between 1970 and 2005 and into the United Kingdom between 1994 and 2005

Aims: The aims of this paper are to present the data for the migration of dentists into and from Hungary between 1970 and 2005, and into the United Kingdom (UK) between 1994 and 2005, to discuss the background to the migrations and to consider what lessons could be learned. Methods: Longitudinal data for 1970 – 2005 for numbers of registered immigrant dentists were obtained from the register of the Hungarian Ministry of Health. Cross-sectional data for the actual dental workforce on the 27 October 2005 and its movements were obtained from the Hungarian Medical Chamber. The UK’s General Dental Council provided data on dentists’ registration by qualifying country for the years from 1994 – 2005. These data were analysed for trends. Results: Between 1970 and 2005, 578 immigrant dentists with degrees or diplomas from dental schools outside Hungary were registered, of these 443 (7.81% of all active dentists in Hungary) were “active” in 2005. According to a cross-sectional study in October 2005, there were 5,671 active dentists in Hungary. It appeared that between 1970 and 1988, 162 dentists left Hungary and a further 85 between 1989 and 2005. At 31 December 2005, there were 33,698 registered dentists in the UK, 7,236 (22%) of whom had degrees or diplomas from dental schools outside the UK, of whom 1,474 had South African qualifications, 1454 Swedish ones, 617 from the Republic of Ireland, 504 from Australia and 492 from Poland. The apparent reasons for these migrations in both Hungary and the UK appeared to be largely economic and political. Culture and language also appeared to be factors for immigration to Hungary. Conclusions: It was concluded that there had been relatively little movement of dentists into and out of Hungary during the period between 1970 and 2005. However, in the UK, since 1994, immigrant dentists have made a major contribution to the dental workforce.