To open a dental clinic, a dentist must possess a legal dental practitioner certificate, issued by the competent authority. However, merely having the certificate is not enough. Meeting the conditions for opening a clinic is a mandatory requirement to obtain an operating license for a dental clinic.
How is the scope of operation for a dental clinic determined?
The determination of a dental clinic’s scope of operation is based on the dentist’s practice certificate and the issued operating license. With these valid documents, dentists are only permitted to practice within the specific scope of expertise they have registered. Previously, Circular 41/2011/TT-BYT at point e, Clause 4, Article 25 explicitly regulated this content, but this regulation has now been repealed by Circular 41/2017/TT-BYT, and no corresponding replacement regulation exists.
However, based on the former content and current guidelines, a maxillofacial dental clinic can perform the following common professional techniques:
- General examinations and initial first aid for maxillofacial injuries
- Minor surgery to repair small scars under 02 cm in the facial area
- Correction of temporomandibular joint dislocation
- Surface laser treatment
- Treatment of periodontitis
- Incision and drainage of abscesses, scaling, tooth extraction
- Making dental prostheses, dentures
- Orthodontics, dental treatment, endodontic treatment
- Performing simple implant placement (1–2 teeth/session), implanting a maximum of 04 lower incisors if the practitioner has an implant placement certificate issued by a medical university or provincial-level hospital or higher.
Note: Autogenous block bone grafting is not permitted, and procedures should not be performed if the patient has progressive internal medical conditions affecting implant quality.
Additionally, the clinic may perform minor oral surgeries and other techniques if approved by the Director of the Provincial Department of Health, based on the practitioner’s competence, medical equipment, and existing facilities.
For the most detailed and updated guidance, dentists should contact the Department of Health – the specialized management agency – directly for specific advice based on their actual situation.
📄 Download the latest dental clinic operating license application form 2025: here!
Required conditions for opening a dental implant clinic
Opening a dental clinic is a specialized business in the healthcare sector, thus requiring strict adherence to legal regulations. Individuals wishing to establish a maxillofacial dental clinic must fully comply with the following conditions as per Vietnamese law:
- Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2009
- Circular 41/2011/TT-BYT
- Article 25 of Circular 40/2011/TT-BYT
- Decree 109/2016/NĐ-CP issued on July 1, 2016, on issuing practice certificates and operating licenses
- Decree 78/2015/NĐ-CP on enterprise registration
Standard facilities
To open a maxillofacial dental clinic, you need a stable business location, solidly built and separate from family residences to ensure privacy and medical hygiene.
- The clinic must ensure adequate lighting, dust-resistant ceilings, and walls and floors made of easy-to-clean, antibacterial materials.
- There must be examination and treatment rooms with a minimum area of 10m², along with a separate patient reception area.
- Clinics performing procedures such as dental implant placement must have a separate room of at least 10m².
- If functional exploration is carried out, a separate exploration room is required.
- For facilities with 3 or more dental chairs, a minimum area of 5m² per chair must be ensured.
- When using radiation equipment or X-ray machines, strict regulations on radiation safety must be followed.
In addition, waste treatment and sterilization in procedure areas, such as the Implant placement room, are also mandatory. Concurrently, electricity, water, air conditioning, and medical gas exhaust systems must be fully functional to ensure continuous operation.
Medical equipment
The dental clinic must be equipped with medical equipment appropriate for the registered scope of expertise. This includes:
- Dental instruments, examination chairs, suction machines, treatment lights, X-ray machines (if any).
- Emergency and anti-shock medications specialized for the clinic, to ensure maximum safety in unexpected situations.
Adequate and modern equipment not only enhances the quality of examination and treatment but also contributes to increasing patient trust.
Professional staff
The staff is a crucial factor. The head of a private dental clinic must be a dentist with a specialized maxillofacial practice certificate and at least 54 months of experience in this specialty.
Additionally:
- The person responsible for professional technical expertise must also have full competency certification documents and is only permitted to perform examinations and treatments within the licensed scope.
- Each dentist can only be named as the professional head for one private clinic nationwide.
Detailed guide to the latest procedures for opening a dental clinic
Opening a dental clinic requires individuals or organizations to complete all procedures for opening a dental clinic according to current regulations. So, what documents are needed to open a dental clinic? How to prepare a dossier to ensure it is valid and gets licensed quickly? Below is a complete and updated guide:
Step 1: Prepare the dental clinic opening dossier
The dental clinic opening dossier must include the following documents:
- Application for an operating license according to the Ministry of Health’s form.
- Copy of the establishment decision issued by a competent state agency (applicable to state-owned medical examination and treatment facilities), or a business registration certificate for private medical examination and treatment facilities, or an investment certificate for foreign-invested medical examination and treatment facilities.
- Copy of the practice certificate of the head, who is also the person responsible for professional technical expertise. If there are individuals in charge of specialized departments, corresponding copies of practice certificates must also be submitted.
- Lease agreement or documents proving legal right to use the clinic premises.
- Labor contracts and appointment decisions for clinic staff.
- List of registered practitioners and staff at the facility.
- Declaration of facilities, including medical equipment, organization, and personnel serving professional activities.
- Proposed scope of professional activities of the clinic.
- Proposed list of professional techniques, based on the list issued by the Minister of Health.
- Contract for medical waste collection with a licensed treatment unit.
Step 2: Submit dossier and processing sequence
The dental clinic opening dossier should be submitted as follows:
- At the Department of Health where the clinic is located or the provincial/city Public Administration Center.
- For individual business households, submit the dossier to the District/Commune People’s Committee where registered.
The dossier processing sequence includes:
The receiving specialist will issue a confirmation of receipt of the dossier and schedule a date to return the results after checking the legality and completeness of the dossier.
If the dossier is missing or incorrect, a written notice for amendment or supplementation will be issued.
Once the dossier is valid, the Department of Health will form an appraisal team to conduct an on-site inspection of the facilities at the clinic location.
Step 3: Receive results and obtain operating license
After receiving and appraising the dossier, and conducting an on-site inspection of the medical examination and treatment facility, if the facility meets the conditions, the Department of Health will issue an operating license within 90 days, allowing the clinic to officially begin operation.
If the clinic does not meet the facility requirements or the dossier is invalid, the appraisal committee is responsible for clearly stating the reasons so that the clinic can promptly complete the necessary improvements, avoiding prolonged processing times.
Dental business codes and guide to opening a legally compliant dental clinic
When intending to open a dental clinic, selecting the correct business registration code is the first crucial step. This not only ensures compliance with legal regulations but also helps the clinic operate transparently and easily implement services related to oral care and associated legal procedures.
Level 4 Industry Code – Code 8620
Industry Code 8620, a Level 4 industry code, includes:
- General practice clinic activities
- Specialized clinic activities
- Dental clinic activities
This is a general industry code, suitable for private medical facilities with multiple specialties, including maxillofacial dentistry.
Level 5 Industry Code – Code 86202
If you specialize in dentistry, you need to specifically register for industry code 86202 – this is a Level 5 specialized code for clinics focusing on oral care and treatment.
Detailed activities include:
- Dental clinic activities such as examining and treating tooth decay, periodontitis, tooth extraction, etc.
- Oral counseling activities such as guiding hygiene and preventing oral diseases.
- Orthodontic activities, braces, and cosmetic dentistry procedures.
- Dental surgery such as Implant placement, wisdom tooth extraction, root canal treatment.
- General state dentistry and special dentistry include:
- Pediatric dentistry
- Oral pathology research department
- Advanced dentistry department
According to regulations, the registration of the business code must be carried out during the step of applying for the business registration certificate. This is a prerequisite for obtaining an operating license and avoiding future legal complications.
