Dentists: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)
Dentists is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 2261) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.
- Dental Practitioner
- Dental surgeon
- Dentist
- Endodontist
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
- Oral Pathologist
- Orthodontist
- Paedodontist
- Periodontist
- Prosthodontist
Pay in Germany for this job
German occupation used: Zahnarzt/-ärztin (Dentist (employed)), occupation code KldB 2010 81474. This is a national figure for all of Germany, before tax and social contributions, including extras such as holiday and Christmas pay.
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Entgeltatlas (employment statistics), reference date 31 December 2025. Full-time employees subject to social insurance only; civil servants, self-employed people and apprentices are not included. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
Pay in the UK for this job
UK occupation used: Dental practitioners (SOC 2020 code 2253). Placeivo matched this to ISCO-08 2261 by job title and duties; the UK and international occupation lists do not line up exactly. National figure for the whole United Kingdom, in pounds sterling (GBP), before income tax and National Insurance.
Not yet verified means the Office for National Statistics did not publish a reliable estimate for this occupation (sample too small).
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by 4-digit SOC 2020): tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross) and 14.1a (weekly pay, gross), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom. Weekly pay is for April 2025; annual pay is for the tax year ending 5 April 2025, employees in the same job for at least a year. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
UK Skilled Worker visa for this job
This occupation (UK code 2253, Dental practitioners) is on the UK list of jobs eligible for the Skilled Worker visa. There is no figure in the general going-rate table: GOV.UK has separate salary rules for healthcare and education jobs, based on national pay scales (for example NHS pay bands), so the general minimum of £41,700 may not apply. Check the GOV.UK page for healthcare and education jobs. Placeivo matched this UK code to ISCO-08 2261 by job title; the lists do not line up exactly.
This is a summary of official rules, not legal advice. Rules change and some people (for example those already on a Skilled Worker visa) have different rules. Always check GOV.UK before you apply.
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK tables "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes" and "Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes", updated 2025-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-15. General minimum salary from GOV.UK "Skilled Worker visa: Your job", checked 2026-10-15.
Compare UK visa going rates by job · Eligible occupations (GOV.UK) · Going rates (GOV.UK) · Healthcare and education rules (GOV.UK) · Salary rules (GOV.UK)
Latest dentists job ads
Real vacancies from the official public employment services, updated daily. Job titles are translated into English automatically; the full ad opens on the official site in German or Swedish (your browser's translate button turns it into English).
Germany
1,259 open ads- Dentist
German title: Zahnarzt
ZAHNZENTRUM NORDWEST · Hude (Oldenburg) · Posted 2026-10-17 - Dentist
German title: Zahnarzt
BS Menzel GmbH · München · Posted 2026-10-16 - Dentist
German title: Zahnarzt / Zahnärztin
PD personaldental GmbH · Posted 2026-10-16 - Dentist
German title: Zahnarzt / Zahnärztin
Patient 21 SE · Bonn · Posted 2026-10-15 - Dentist
German title: Zahnarzt
Acura Zahnärzte GmbH · Geesthacht · Posted 2026-10-15 - Dentist
German title: Zahnarzt / Zahnärztin
Patient 21 SE · Velbert · Posted 2026-10-15
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany
Sweden
155 open ads- Ophthalmologist, maxillofacial surgery Gothenburg/Mölndal
Swedish title: Övertandläkare, käkkirurgi Göteborg/Mölndal
VÄSTRA GÖTALANDSREGIONEN · Göteborg · Posted 2026-10-19 - We are looking for a dedicated dentist who wants to be part of our team.
Swedish title: Vi söker en engagerad tandläkare som vill bli en del av vårt team.
Praktikertjänst Aktiebolag · Västerås · Posted 2026-10-18 - Dentist needed
Swedish title: Tandläkare sökes till
Toth Dental AB · Stockholm · Posted 2026-10-17 - Oral Care's mobile operations are looking for Dentists for the Prison Service
Swedish title: Oral Cares mobila verksamhet söker Tandläkare till Kriminalvården
H.F. Oral Care Aktiebolag · Linköping · Posted 2026-10-16 - Oral Care's mobile operations are looking for Dentists for the Prison Service
Swedish title: Oral Cares mobila verksamhet söker Tandläkare till Kriminalvården
H.F. Oral Care Aktiebolag · Göteborg · Posted 2026-10-16 - Oral Care's mobile operations are looking for Dentists for the Prison Service
Swedish title: Oral Cares mobila verksamhet söker Tandläkare till Kriminalvården
H.F. Oral Care Aktiebolag · Malmö · Posted 2026-10-16
Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden
Where dentists are needed in Europe
| Country | EURES 2025 | Average gross pay, all professionals (2022) | 1-bed rent in the capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechia | Shortage | €2,276 a month | Prague: €1,250 |
| Denmark | Shortage | €5,925 a month * | Copenhagen: €1,800 |
| Estonia | Shortage | €2,262 a month | Tallinn: €720 |
| France | Shortage | €4,118 a month * | Paris: €1,550 |
| Greece | Shortage | €1,904 a month * | Athens: €1,150 |
| Italy | Shortage | €3,172 a month * | Rome: €1,300 |
| Latvia | Shortage | €2,136 a month | Riga: €870 |
| Netherlands | Shortage | €4,726 a month | Not yet verified |
| Slovakia | Shortage | €1,830 a month | Bratislava: €910 |
| Slovenia | Shortage | €2,727 a month | Ljubljana: €950 |
| Spain | Shortage | €3,085 a month | Madrid: €1,300 |
| Sweden | Shortage | €4,330 a month * | Stockholm: €2,100 |
| Bulgaria | Shortage and surplus | €1,367 a month | Sofia: €650 |
| Austria | Surplus | €4,602 a month * | Vienna: €1,250 |
| Cyprus | Surplus | €2,809 a month | Nicosia: €750 |
| Germany | Surplus | €5,270 a month | Berlin: €1,350 |
Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all professionals in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for dentists alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.
What dentists do
Dentists diagnose, treat and prevent diseases, injuries and abnormalities of the teeth, mouth, jaws and associated tissues by applying the principles and procedures of modern dentistry. They use a broad range of specialized diagnostic, surgical and other techniques to promote and restore oral health.
Typical tasks
- Diagnosing diseases, injuries, irregularities and malformations of teeth and associated structures in the mouth and jaw using a range of methods such as radiographs, salivary tests and medical histories
- Providing preventative oral health care such as periodontal treatments, fluoride applications and oral health promotion
- Administering anaesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures
- Prescribing medication for relief of ongoing pain after procedures
- Providing restorative oral care such as implants, complex crown and bridge restorations, and orthodontics, and repairing damaged and decayed teeth
- Providing surgical treatments such as extraction of teeth, biopsy of tissue, and performing orthodontic treatment
- Measuring and taking impressions of patients' jaws and teeth in order to determine the shape and size of dental prostheses
- Designing, making and fitting prosthodontic appliances such as space maintainers, bridges, and dentures, or writing fabrication instructions or prescriptions for dental prosthetic technicians
- Restoring oral function with removable and fixed oral prostheses
- Assisting in diagnosing general diseases having oral manifestations such as diabetes
- Educating patients and families on dental hygiene, nutrition and other measures to take care of oral health
- Supervising dental hygienists, dental assistants and other staff
Finding dentists jobs in Europe
- EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Dentist".
- Some jobs are regulated professions: before you can work, your qualification may need to be recognised in the new country.
- If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you will usually need a work permit or a visa such as the EU Blue Card. Check the rules of the country's immigration authority.
Cost of living where the jobs are
Take-home pay needed to rent a good 1-bedroom flat in the capitals of countries reporting a shortage:
About this data
- Shortage and surplus: European Labour Authority, EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annex table 21 (published 2026). Each country's public employment service reports which occupations it finds hard to fill or in oversupply. Countries not listed did not report this occupation as either.
- Definition, tasks and job titles: International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure and definitions.
- Pay: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_48), by occupation group. Germany, this exact job: Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Entgeltatlas (median pay of full-time employees). United Kingdom, closest UK occupation: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (median pay of full-time employees).
- Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.