Oral Health Sciences

The postgraduate Master’s programme in Oral Health Sciences is a three-year degree programme offered by the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA).

This full-time programme is taught in English and offers a unique combination of theoretical training and clinical skills. Oral Health Sciences is intended for ambitious Dutch and international dentists with a few years of work experience in a general practice seeking to deepen, broaden and complement their knowledge of Oral Health Sciences and wish to specialise in one of the following graduation profiles:

More about Oral Health Sciences

What makes Oral Health Sciences unique?
- Small-scale environment: 1-4 students per graduation profile per year.
- Joint theoretical programme combined with profile-specific seminars and clinical courses.
- Interdisciplinary approach: knowledge exchange between four different profiles within the field of dentistry.
- State-of-the-art facilities, laboratories and clinics.
- ACTA is the only university in Europe that offers such a postgraduate Master’s programme in Oral Health Sciences.
Graduates find work as specialised dentists, academic or clinical teachers, PhD students/researchers or a mix of these professions.
Minimal requirements
- (International) Master’s degree in dentistry (recognised under Dutch law)
- Dutch BIG registration
- Work experience in a general dental practice
- Proficiency in both English (level C1) and Dutch (levels B2/C1)
Click here for the complete application requirements.
Outline of the programme
This is a full-time, three-year programme (180 ECTS in total, 60 ECTS per year) with an average minimum time commitment of 40 hours per week. Depending on the chosen graduation profile, students will be at ACTA 3-5 days per week. See the outline of the programme.
Facts & Figures Oral Health Sciences, MSc
Did you know?
- The Oral Health Sciences Master's programme has evolved out of four dental differentiation programmes that have been offering (clinical) education at ACTA for many years.
- All four graduate profiles (Endodontology, Periodontology, Paediactric Dentistry and Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction) lead to an accredited MSc programme in Oral Health Sciences.
- Oral Health Sciences is a joint degree programme of two universities: Vrije Universiteit and the University of Amsterdam.
- The programme is taught in English, because of its international character. 30‐50% of the students are from abroad. The language of patient communication with patients is usually Dutch. Students are therefore expected to have sufficient Dutch language skills to take a patient’s basic medical history at the start of the programme.
- The programme is made up of four components: 1) generic courses (32 ECTS), 2) graduation profile-specific courses (30 ECTS), 3) the Research Track (28 ECTS) and the acquisition of more in‐depth clinical skills that form 50% of the total study time (30 ECTS per year, 90 ECTS in total). Download the Curriculum Overview.
- Per year only 1-4 students per graduation profile are selected for the postgraduate Master’s programme in Oral Health Sciences.
What our graduates say (experiences)
- Donya Parvaneh, the Netherlands. Graduation profile Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, October 2019.
  After graduating as a dentist from ACTA, I knew I was not done learning. I wanted to gain more knowledge and develop myself further. Orofacial pain and tooth wear were two subjects that peaked my interest, already during dental school. During my program at the Department of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, I had the unique opportunity to learn more about orofacial pain, sleep apnea and tooth wear. Being the first dentist for the Department of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction in the OHS, was a very special and beautiful experience. During these three years I learned a lot from my team, and I enjoyed working with them.
  Due to the collaboration between the departments of the OHS, I obtained more knowledge in the fields of Endodontology, Implantology, Periodontology and Paediatric Dentistry. During the interdisciplinary sessions, our presentation skills and English improved, which contributed to our self-development and social skills. And of course, it is a major plus that the OHS is offered in Amsterdam, my favorite city.
- Luciano Pitzurra, 29, Italy. Graduation profile Periodontology, August 2018
  This programme is the right mix between clinical training and research. It gives you the possibility to look deeper into the most recent discoveries in the fields of Endodontology, Implant Dentistry, Periodontology, Oral Kinesiology and Paediatric Dentistry with regular interdisciplinary sessions. It also trains you to improve your presentation skills, which is nowadays so important in terms of communication. Besides, Amsterdam is beautiful, dynamic and constantly changing. And so international as well. That’s why I have decided to continue my career at ACTA with a PhD project, alongside my clinical work. After 3 years, I feel there’s still so much more to see and learn.
- Petruta Căpută. Graduation profile Endodontology, August 2018
  After graduating Dental School in my home country, my passion for Endodontology started to come into clear shape. Eager to improve my knowledge and skills, I started looking for postgraduate programmes that were providing the best clinical environment, but also rigorous training in theory and research. I can now say that ACTA's Oral Health Sciences programme exceeded these expectations. The structure of the Oral Health Sciences programme gave me a solid foundation in the field of Endodontology, but also allowed me to easily interact with specialists from other departments and deepen my understanding. The highlight of my time at ACTA was learning alongside inspiring classmates. Each member of our small, but selective group, brought insight from different corners of the world, and we learned so much from each other. I developed close friendships with my classmates and still managed to have a lot of fun in between times of intense work and stress. My time at ACTA was truly life-changing and I feel fortunate to have been part of such a renowned and rigorous master’s programme. I look forward to remaining an active and engaged member of the ACTA alumni network.
Application

For more information about your application, please click here.
Apply now
Course fees
The annual course fees differ per graduation profile:

Academic year 2021-2022
- Endodontology | € 17.811
- Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction | € 14.548
- Periodontology | € 23.000
- Paediatric Dentistry | € 13.000
FAQ

For more info, see: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)