Milestone in Sports Dentistry: First International Certifications Successfully Completed
Teufen-Lustmühle (Switzerland), February 24, 2025
The SBMC-Academy, in collaboration with ÖGSZM – Austrian Society for Sports Medicine and Dentistry and DTMD University Luxembourg, has achieved a significant breakthrough in the standardization of sports dentistry education.
With the German Society for Sports Dentistry (DGSZM) and the Baltic Sports Odontology & Medicine Association (BaSOMA), the first two professional associations have been successfully certified according to the newly developed, dynamic quality standards.
The DGSZM passed its pre-audit on January 19, 2024, in Nuremberg as part of its 17th curriculum. The formal presentation of the certificate to the president of the association, Dr. Thomas Schwenk, took place after the successful completion of the audit process on January 18, 2025, during the 19th curriculum in Nuremberg. BaSOMA, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, completed its pre-audit on April 26, 2024, in Riyadh as part of the 8th ECOSEP Congress, which took place in cooperation with MOVE Comprehensive Sports Medicine and EA4SD (European Society for Sports Dentistry).
The certificate was awarded to the society’s president, Dr. Ruta Turčinskiene, on February 15, 2025, in Kaunas, on the occasion of the first BaSOMA sports dentistry screening for elite athletes in the Baltic States, which was carried out under the supervision and support of ÖGSZM – Austrian Society for Sports Medicine and Dentistry.
“These certifications mark a turning point in the development of sports dentistry in Europe and internationally,” explains Prof. Dr. Tilman Fritsch of the SBMC-Academy. “Successful certification enables the associations to incorporate their national curricula into two major European systems through DTMD University: the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).”
This dual recognition ensures the comparability and transferability of the acquired qualifications in Europe. The ECVET system facilitates the validation and recognition of professional skills, while the ECTS system enables the academic transfer of study credits.
“In this way, we are creating a permeable educational structure that optimally combines both vocational and academic continuing education,” emphasizes Stavros Avgerinos of the certification process is based on an innovative, dynamic model that allows for continuous adaptation to new scientific findings. Annual audits ensure the quality of training and promote the continuous development of standards. The certified associations are included in an international registry and actively contribute to the further development of sports dentistry.
The successful certification of the DGSZM and BaSOMA underlines the growing importance of international standards in sports dentistry and paves the way for further associations that have already expressed their interest in certification. Some of them from Europe, but also from Asia and Africa, are already in the certification process, which is expected to be completed in the next few months.
About the SBMC-Academy:
The SBMC-Academy is an affiliated institute of the DTMD University Luxembourg and specializes in the certification and auditing of societies in the field of sports dentistry. In cooperation with ÖGSZM – Austrian Society for Sports Medicine and Dentistry, it develops dynamic standards for international sports dentistry education and training.
Contact for Further Information:
Prof. Dr. Tilman Fritsch
SBMC-Academy
Battenhusstrasse 12
CH-9062 Teufen-Lustmühle
Switzerland
info@sbmc.swiss
Stavros Avgerinos
ÖGSZM – Austrian Society for Sports Medicine and Dentistry
Battenhusstrasse 12
CH-9062 Teufen-Lustmühle
Switzerland
