‘Expert’ needs Special Experience

A professional recognition as “expert” is intended to convey that the person in question has expert qualification at a very high level. The European Dental Association (EDA) is not offering professionals with education but is conducting examinations on a European basis.

‘Expert’ definition of the German Federal Constitutional Court: “If a physician can call him- or herself ‘expert’ in a specific field and if this assessment is justified, it is generally technically appropriate and in the interest of the patient to provide this information. It indicates that a physician has special expertise in a field that is his or her medical specialty. If this claim is true and if it is put forward in an objective manner, this (desirable) information for the patient does not imply an (undesirable) commercialization of the medical profession.

A physician’s professional development may result in expert knowledge, even if this is neither provided for in any professional code nor subjected to any examination … Professional ethics and competition are not mutually exclusive. There is no risk of expert designations being confused with the names of medical specialist fields: The term ‘expert’ denotes a physician who has gained special experience in a  (medical) field, while the specialist designation is obtained by formal qualification.”