Singapore recognises Adelaide dental degrees for registration

Singapore will recognise dental degrees awarded by the University of Adelaide for the purposes of registration under the Dental Registration Act 1999, under a new order published in the Republic of Singapore Government Gazette on 2 September 2026. The Dental Registration Act 1999 (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2026 (S 583/2026) comes into operation on 3 September 2026.

The order was made by the Minister for Health on 31 August 2026, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 78 of the Dental Registration Act 1999, after consultation with the Singapore Dental Council.

What the amendment does

The order amends item 1 of the Schedule to the Dental Registration Act 1999, replacing paragraph (3) to add two qualifications from South Australia to the list of recognised dental degrees. The recognised qualifications are:

• University of Adelaide Dental School — BDS
• Adelaide University School of Dentistry — BDS

The change means dentists who hold either of these degrees from the University of Adelaide will be able to rely on them when seeking registration to practise dentistry in Singapore.

Who signed and the legal basis

The order was signed by Lai Wei Lin, Permanent Secretary (Policy and Development) of the Ministry of Health, Singapore. It carries the internal reference [SDC1:2; AG/LEGIS/SL/76/2025/2] and was first published in the Government Gazette at 5 pm on 2 September 2026.

Impact for practitioners

The recognition of the Adelaide dental qualifications removes a barrier for dentists trained in South Australia who wish to practise in Singapore, aligning their degrees with other foreign qualifications already listed in the Schedule. For prospective registrants, the order takes effect the day after publication, on 3 September 2026.

Source: Republic of Singapore Government Gazette, S 583/2026, 2 September 2026, Subsidiary Legislation Supplement (official reference: Dental Registration Act 1999 (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2026, S 583/2026).