Dental Association
Dental associations are the self-administrations of the dentists and are organized as a corporation under public law (K. d. Ö. R.). Dentists' associations are professional bodies . They are responsible for performing the tasks assigned to them on the basis of national health professions chamber laws. The responsible state ministry in each case exercises legal supervision (but not technical supervision ).
Membership is mandatory for all dentists in Germany. Membership is suspended if the license to practice medicine is suspended and if the prohibition to practice the medical profession is ordered (Section 70 of the Criminal Code - StGB).
Country structure
There are 17 state dental associations. North Rhine-Westphalia is the only federal state with two chamber districts (Zahnärztekammer Westfalen-Lippe and Zahnärztekammer Nordrhein). In Baden-Württemberg there are four district dental chambers under the umbrella of the State Chamber of Dentists BaWü, in Rhineland-Palatinate there are three district dental chambers under the State Chamber of Dentists and in Bavaria there are eight district dental associations under the roof of the State Chamber of Dentists. All of the above are corporations under public law. In those federal states in which there is this form of sub-organization, the dentists are compulsory members of these sub-organizations. The chamber contribution varies from chamber to chamber and is a maximum of 300 euros per quarter.
Federal structure
The state dental associations have formed the working group of the German Dental Associations (" Bundeszahnärztekammer ") e. V. amalgamated, but no K. d. Ö. R., but a registered association.
tasks
The chamber's professional interests are handled by the chamber. A dental association offers, among other things, advanced training courses for its members and their employees, it provides professional pension schemes through pension funds, it organizes the training of the ZFA (dental assistant, formerly dental assistant) and it publishes a members' magazine.
organization
The dental associations consist of the board of directors, which is led by the president and one or two vice-presidents. The highest decision-making body is the assembly of delegates. The term of office is four years, with the four-year period beginning differently in the individual chambers. The delegates to the delegates' assembly are elected every four years by the members (all dentists) in a secret ballot.
The dental associations each have their own administrations.
Current development
The task of a professional chamber, including the dental chamber, is to act as a representation of the interests of its members in addition to fulfilling the state tasks assigned to them.