VUB establishes new dental course as lever for better care in Vlaamse Rand and Brussels
Brussels, 24 April 2026 - The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) welcomes today's announcement by the Flemish government and Flemish Minister of Education Zuhal Demir and confirms its ambition to start a course in dentistry in the 2027-2028 academic year. The university endorses society's need for more general dentists and wants to continue its social responsibility even in times of austerity.
With this new programme, the VUB wants to respond to the acute shortage of Dutch-speaking dentists in Flanders and Brussels. By 2030, it is estimated that half of today's dentists will be over 60 years old. The outflow from existing courses is insufficient to fill this void.
Rector of the VUB Jan Danckaert: "Anyone looking for a Dutch-speaking dentist in Flemish Brabant and Brussels today will notice how urgent the problem is." With this programme, the VUB wants to assume its social responsibility and contribute to sustainable solutions for healthcare. At the same time, we are strongly committed to total care and multidisciplinary cooperation, which not only means great added value for patients, but also for the education and training of our students."
Innovative and practice-oriented education
Twenty years after the discontinuation of dental education, the VUB is once again seizing the opportunity to build a bridge between science, care and society. At the request of former Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts, the university investigated the establishment of a third degree programme in dentistry. This initiative enjoyed broad support from the Flemish Government, the Flemish Parliament and various stakeholders, with a view to addressing the growing shortage of dentists.
Following a positive accreditation, based on the strong quality of the submitted dossier, the Flemish Government previously gave the green light for the start-up of the programme. Meanwhile, on the advice of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, the VUB Board of Governors has also given its approval. With a targeted investment, despite a challenging budgetary context, the Flemish Government today confirms its commitment to investing in the health and well-being of its citizens.
The dental school will have a strong commitment to clinical training and innovative teaching methods. Students will come into contact with patients from the first year and work with advanced simulation and training equipment that allows realistic treatment experiences in a safe learning environment. Maximum use will be made of the existing expertise within the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, the University Hospital UZ Brussel and the University Dental Centre.
Dean Koen Putman: "Our faculty already has a high-quality offering in medical training of doctors, pharmacists, but also biomedical scientists and management and policy directions. All this in an academic environment that simultaneously provides hands-on experience in a university hospital where we constantly collaborate with the medical industry to find new solutions to make people healthier and happier. Dentistry was a missing piece.
Engine for healthcare system in Vlaamse Rand and Brussels
The new course is a key element in the expansion of the healthcare system in the Vlaamse Rand and Brussels. The VUB, the UZ Brussel and the University Dental Centre are working together on an integrated ecosystem that brings together education, research, care, innovation and entrepreneurship. Indeed, the VUB wants to develop its current Health Campus into a dynamic Health Valley stretching from the campus in Jette to the Research Park Zellik. In this ecosystem, university, hospital, university college and innovation partners work closely together around the healthcare of the future. In that context, a new 7 Tesla MRI scanner was recently installed in Zellik. Together with the Flemish supercomputer SOFIA and the sustainable data centre PENTA, this infrastructure forms the high-tech heart of the science park of the future in the Brussels metropolis.
The dental school reinforces this ambition by encouraging interdisciplinary education and cooperation between health professions. But also by enabling new research initiatives, including in oral health and technology, and deepening the link between clinical practice, scientific research and innovation.
UZ Brussel CEO Prof Mark De Ridder: "Just like excellent science, excellent care develops optimally in an interdisciplinary environment from basic dental care over specialised care such as orthodontics to complex oral and maxillofacial surgery. To this end, this new training is a cornerstone of the complete range and an added value for our patients."
Investment in tomorrow's care
Subject to approval by the Flemish Parliament, the Flemish government envisages an initial investment of 20 million euros for the start-up of the course. The total cost is estimated at 40 million euros over ten years. Given the project's broad social relevance, there is strong support for this investment.
The start-up of the programme is part of the VUB's ambition to remain a leading player in healthcare, education and innovation in the Brussels region and beyond. With the development of the entire ecosystem and the relaunch of dentistry, the VUB confirms its role as a driver of social progress and partner in the healthcare of tomorrow.
More info
Tineke Sonck, VUB spokesperson: Tineke.Sonck@vub.be - 0473 96 73 51
https://events.vub.be/utc-postacademische-vorming
Tineke Sonck
