Dental Instruments In Switzerland

How many dentists are there in Switzerland?

The number of practising dentists in Switzerland rose 3.8%, from 4,180 in 2014 to 4,337 in 2018 (Eurostat (dataset hlth_rs_prs2, Health personnel)).

WHO reported 4,217 dentists in Switzerland in 2016, or 5.0 per 10,000 population (WHO).

See how Switzerland compares with Equate's other markets in dentists per 10,000 people across 21 countries.

What is the state of oral health in Switzerland?

In 2019, an estimated 26.4% of children aged 1–9 in Switzerland had untreated caries of the deciduous teeth (WHO).

In 2019, an estimated 40.3% of people aged 5 and over in Switzerland had untreated caries of the permanent teeth (WHO).

In 2019, the estimated prevalence of severe periodontal disease among people aged 15 and over in Switzerland was 20.1% (WHO).

In 2019, an estimated 8.9% of people aged 20 and over in Switzerland were edentulous (WHO).

In 2020, the incidence of lip and oral cavity cancer in Switzerland was 3.9 per 100,000 population (WHO).

In 2022, 44% of the Swiss population had a complete natural dentition, compared with 33% in 2002 (Swiss Federal Statistical Office).

In 2022, 71% of people in Switzerland rated their oral and dental health as good or very good (Swiss Federal Statistical Office).

How are dental instruments regulated in Switzerland?

Switzerland's completely revised Medical Devices Ordinance (MedDO) came into force on 26 May 2021, aligning Swiss rules with the EU Medical Device Regulation (Swissmedic).

Because the Switzerland–EU Mutual Recognition Agreement was not updated, Swissmedic introduced transitional measures, including registration of economic operators and the Swiss Single Registration Number (CHRN) (Swissmedic).

In Switzerland, medical devices are classified into classes I, IIa, IIb and III under Art. 15 of the Medical Devices Ordinance (MedDO), and the manufacturer is responsible for classifying them correctly (Swissmedic).

Under Switzerland's MedDO, a device's risk class is determined from its intended purpose using Annex VIII of the EU MDR (Swissmedic).

In Switzerland, medical devices do not go through an official authorisation procedure; Switzerland follows the EU system of conformity assessment, carried out by private bodies (Swissmedic).

The authority responsible for medical devices in Switzerland is Swissmedic.

What are the rules for cleaning and sterilising dental instruments in Switzerland?

In 2025, the Swiss cantons and Swissmedic presented a draft 'Good Practice for Reprocessing Medical Devices in Outpatient Healthcare Facilities' (GPA-ambulant) as the successor to the KIGAP 1.0 guideline first published in 2010 (Swissmedic).

Where can you study dentistry in Switzerland?

Switzerland has 4 dental schools listed here, in Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich.

Dental studies in Switzerland are federally regulated and last five years: a three-year bachelor's and a two-year master's, followed by the federal examination in dentistry (University of Bern).

What are the milestones in Switzerland's dental history?

• The Swiss Dental Association was founded in 1886 under the name Société suisse des Odontologistes, abbreviated SSO (SSO Lucerne section).

Which organisations represent dentists in Switzerland?

• Schweizerische Zahnärzte-Gesellschaft SSO (Swiss Dental Association) (association)
• Swissmedic (regulator)

What do dentists in Switzerland search for?

Search data for Switzerland alone isn't published; these are the instrument searches across the English-language markets Equate tracks (Europe and North America), in Google Keyword Planner bands, October 2025 to September 2026.

How are teeth numbered in Switzerland?

Dentists in Switzerland use the FDI two-digit system set out in ISO 3950, where 11 is the upper right central incisor and 48 the lower right third molar.

What do national dental surveys show in Switzerland?

• Swiss Health Survey 2022 (Schweizerische Gesundheitsbefragung): oral and dental health (Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS), 2022): In 2022, 56% of people in Switzerland had visited a dentist in the past year, down from 62% in 2002, while dental hygienist visits rose from 37% to 58% (Swiss Federal Statistical Office).

How is dental care organised and paid for in Switzerland?

In Switzerland, dental treatment is generally not a mandatory benefit of compulsory health insurance; it is covered only for severe, unavoidable diseases of the masticatory system or in connection with a severe general illness (Federal Office of Public Health).

Swiss compulsory health insurance does not cover routine fillings for caries or orthodontic correction such as children's braces; the covered indications are listed exhaustively in Articles 17 to 19a of the KLV (Federal Office of Public Health).

Total expenditure on dental healthcare in Switzerland was estimated at US$4,219 million in 2019, or US$494 per person (WHO).

Which dental instruments does Equate supply to Switzerland?

Equate's instrument guides for Switzerland cover dental curettes, dental elevators and luxators, dental explorers, extraction forceps, mouth mirrors, surgical retractors, hand scalers, periodontal probes, restorative hand instruments, spoon excavators and tooth extraction instruments.

City guides: Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich.

Why do dental practices in Switzerland work with Equate?

• Direct from the manufacturer: practices in Switzerland order 3,375 instrument references without a distributor mark-up in between.
• Built to one specification across the range: passivated stainless steel, ultrasonically cleaned, shape-, boil- and performance-tested and individually packed.
• A named Regional Executive for DACH handles quotes, samples and volume pricing for private practices and university dental clinics in Switzerland.
• Clinics in Switzerland can request samples and a quote before committing to a full order.