Turkish dental clinics: licence types, the authorisation list and how to read both

“Turkish dental clinics” sounds like one kind of thing. In law it is not. The word clinic covers a dentist working alone in a rented room, a company running several chairs, and a hospital with an operating theatre. They are licensed under different rules, owned in different ways, and the paperwork you can ask for is different for each. This guide explains the categories, what the health tourism authorisation adds on top, and how to use the register to find and check a facility.

The four licence types for dental facilities

Dental facilities are regulated by the Ministry of Health under a regulation on private health facilities providing oral and dental health services (Ağız ve Diş Sağlığı Hizmeti Sunulan Özel Sağlık Kuruluşları Hakkında Yönetmelik). It was published in the Resmî Gazete on 6 October 2022, issue 31975, and amended on 5 March 2024 (issue 32480) and 15 December 2024 (issue 32753). We read the 2022 text and the December 2024 amending regulation; the latter changes other articles (floor areas, waiting rooms, licensing procedure and transitional provisions) and does not touch the definitions or the rules on who may open each type. We did not read the March 2024 text. The regulation defines a health facility as a private practice, polyclinic, centre or hospital providing oral and dental services (Article 4), and Article 5 sets out who may open each:

• Muayenehane (a dentist's own practice). Opened by a dentist who is authorised to practise independently. A company cannot open one. This is the smallest unit: one named dentist.
• Poliklinik (polyclinic). Opened by a company owned by one or more independently practising dentists.
• Merkez (centre). Opened by a company owned by independently practising dentists, or by a company in which a dentist partnership holds at least 51% of the shares.
• Hastane (hospital). Opened by a company.

The 2022 text defines these four types and who may open them. They do not tell you which type is more suitable for a given treatment, and we are not drawing that conclusion. A single dentist in a practice can place an implant competently; a hospital can do poor work. What the type tells you is the legal structure: who owns the facility, who is responsible for it, and what standards the Ministry inspects against. For the text itself, see the regulation in the Resmî Gazete of 6 October 2022.

What the health tourism authorisation adds

An ordinary operating licence lets a facility treat patients who live in Türkiye. Treating people who travel to Türkiye for care needs a second, narrower permission: the International Health Tourism Authorisation (Uluslararası Sağlık Turizmi Yetki Belgesi), often shortened to the ST authorisation after the number format on many certificates. The current regulation was published in the Resmî Gazete on 26 April 2025, issue 32882. Health facilities are authorised by the Ministry of Health; intermediary organisations are authorised separately. For the detail, read what the authorisation is and who issues it and what an ST number is.

Two points matter for dental patients. First, the authorisation sits on top of the operating licence; it does not replace it. Second, it is an administrative permission, not a clinical rating. Two practices can hold it and differ widely in what they do.

How many hold it

The register currently lists 4,030 facilities holding the authorisation across all specialties, in 60 provinces, with 29,100 doctors recorded. Dental practices are the largest single group. The count changes as the Ministry updates its list, so we do not print a fixed number here: the current dental list and the live panel on this page show today’s figure. Any article quoting a precise number of “Turkish dental clinics” without a date has already gone stale.

Brand versus legal entity

This is where most searches fail. A clinic advertises under a brand name. The authorisation is granted to a legal entity, usually a company, with its own registered name, which can be very different. Every record on this site shows the entity as “Registered as …” beneath the facility name. When you receive a quote, contract or invoice, the company name on it should match that line. If the brand is not found on the register, ask the clinic for the registered company name and search for that instead. A missing brand name is not proof of anything; how to verify a licence covers what to match and what to request.

Check the entity for the address where you will actually be treated, not only the brand.

Where dental tourism concentrates

The Ministry’s list is heaviest in İstanbul and Antalya, which the register reflects. Browse them directly: İstanbul, Antalya and İzmir. If you are considering Antalya specifically, dental treatment in Antalya adds local context. A city page lists registered facilities, not recommendations, and the order is not a ranking.

Using the treatment pages

Each facility declares the treatments it offers, and the register publishes them as declared. Useful starting points for dental work:

• Dental implant surgery and sinus lift for implant cases
• Alveolar bone augmentation if bone volume is a question
• Prosthetic teeth treatment for crowns, bridges and dentures
• Root canal treatment

Each treatment page also splits by city, so you can see, for example, which registered facilities in Antalya declared implant surgery. “Declared” is the operative word: it is what the facility told the Ministry, not what the Ministry verified clinically. For the clinical side of the questions, read dental treatment in Türkiye and dental implants in Türkiye.

How to read a record in five steps

1. Facility name and “Registered as …”. Does the legal entity match your paperwork?
2. Province and district. Does the address match where you will be treated?
3. Reference number. Many records carry an ST-format number; others carry a longer document reference or none. Absence is not a red flag by itself, so match on name and address as well.
4. Declared treatments and languages. 587 distinct treatments appear across the register, and 3,932 facilities list English among their staff languages. That is a statement about language, not standards.
5. The source document. The register mirrors 8,271 Ministry PDFs with SHA-256 fingerprints so you can compare what the clinic sent with what is on file.

What this list cannot tell you

It cannot tell you whether a named dentist is skilled, whether a treatment plan is right for you, or how complications are handled. Accreditation is a separate layer; see licensed versus accredited. For the wider question of safety, is dental treatment in Türkiye safe sets out what published studies do and do not show. We take no fee from any clinic and book nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Turkish dental clinic the same as a dental hospital?

No. Under the 2022 regulation a facility is a practice, polyclinic, centre or hospital, each with its own rules about who can open it. The legal type is shown on the licence, not in the brand name.

Does every Turkish dental clinic hold the health tourism authorisation?

No. Only facilities that applied and were authorised appear on the Ministry’s list. A dentist can lawfully treat patients living in Türkiye without it. If you travel for care, ask for the certificate and match it to the register.

How many authorised dental clinics are there?

The number changes as the Ministry updates its list. The dental list on this site shows the current count, and the live panel above shows it with the date.

The clinic’s brand is not on the register. Is it unlicensed?

Not necessarily. The authorisation belongs to a legal entity that may trade under another name or a different spelling. Ask for the company name on the certificate and search for that. If it still does not match, ask the clinic to explain in writing before paying.

Does the register show which dentist will treat me?

It records doctors for many facilities, but a facility entry does not tell you who will perform your treatment. Ask the clinic to name the dentist and check them using how to check a doctor.

Is a hospital safer than a polyclinic for dental work?

The licence type does not answer that. It describes legal structure and facility requirements, not the skill of the clinician or the suitability of your plan.

Sources

• Ağız ve Diş Sağlığı Hizmeti Sunulan Özel Sağlık Kuruluşları Hakkında Yönetmelik — Resmî Gazete, 6 October 2022, issue 31975 (text reproduced by Alomaliye) — https://www.alomaliye.com/2022/10/06/agiz-ve-dis-sagligi-hizmeti-sunulan-ozel-saglik-kuruluslari/
• Ağız ve Diş Sağlığı Hizmeti Sunulan Özel Sağlık Kuruluşları Hakkında Yönetmelik — Resmî Gazete, 6 October 2022, issue 31975 — https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2022/10/20221006-1.htm
• Amendment to the same regulation — Resmî Gazete, 15 December 2024, issue 32753 — https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2024/12/20241215-1.htm
• Uluslararası Sağlık Turizmi ve Turistin Sağlığı Hakkında Yönetmelik — Resmî Gazete, 26 April 2025, issue 32882 — https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2025/04/20250426-2.htm
• T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı — HealthTürkiye portal — https://healthturkiye.gov.tr
• T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı — facilities holding the International Health Tourism Authorisation (Ministry list) — https://shgmturizmdb.saglik.gov.tr/TR-68016/uluslararasi-saglik-turizmi-yetki-belgesi-alan-saglik-tesisleri.html

clinimora.com publishes independent informational and register verification content. It does not diagnose medical conditions and does not recommend a particular treatment or provider. Treatment decisions belong with a suitably qualified healthcare professional who has assessed you.