Over the last few decades, the increase in knowledge and advances in dental technology have raised oral health care to a new level, and dental educators and the profession have put increasing demands on the clinical competencies expected of new graduates. The medical profession has reformed radically with its evidence-based and problem-based curricula, and its extension of the post-qualification training of family practitioners has meant universities, colleges and postgraduate institutes developing new strategies. This paper reviews the development of general dentistry, with special emphasis on the global trend towards enhanced postgraduate training.