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Careers in academic dentistry are failing to attract a new generation of academics to steer dental education and research. Dental academia is further limited by inadequacies in levels of ethnic diversity. There is a stark contrast between the diversity of graduates entering the dental profession and those in academic positions, especially in senior ranks. Dentistry is not the only field in academia, which lacks representation and lessons may be drawn from other faculties. This paper focuses on what is known about dental academia in the United Kingdom, where there are formal research training pathways. There is an emerging recognition of the requirement for action, and it is hoped this will stimulate debate and impetus for research across Europe. The terminology used throughout this piece follows the United Kingdom Cabinet Office recommendations for writing about ethnicity (Writing about ethnicity, 2021; https://www.ethnicity‐facts‐figures.service.gov.uk/style‐guide/writing‐about‐ethnicity). Where cited sources have employed less acceptable terms (Please don't call me BAME or BME!: Civil service, 2019; https://civilservice.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/08/please‐dont‐call‐me‐bame‐or‐bme/), these have been changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Harmonising education to support workforce mobility has been a policy objective for the European Union. However, alignment across varied national contexts presents challenges in dental education. Methods: A systematic literature review with narrative synthesis. Searches of the electronic databases Embase [Ovid]; MEDLINE [Ovid]; Scopus; CINAHL; AMED and PsycINFO were conducted for relevant material published between 2000 and 2019 on undergraduate curricula, quality standards and learning outcomes in dentistry. Results: Seventy‐six papers met the inclusion criteria. Fifty‐three papers were commentaries or editorials, twenty‐one were research studies, and two were literature reviews on specific dental subfields. Eighteen of the research studies reported surveys. The literature contains extensive proposals for undergraduate curricula or learning outcomes, either broadly or for subfields of dentistry. Included papers demonstrated the importance of EU policy and educator‐led initiatives as drivers for harmonisation. There is limited evidence on the extent to which proposed pan‐European curricula or learning outcomes have been implemented. The nature and extent of dental students' clinical experience with patients is an area of variance across European Union member states. Arrangements for the quality assurance of dental education differ between countries. Discussion: Harmonisation of European dental education has engaged educators, as seen in the publication of proposed curricula and learning outcomes. However, differences remain in key areas such as clinical experience with patients, which has serious implications if graduate dentists migrate to countries where different expectations exist. Mutual recognition of professional qualifications between countries relies on education which meets certain standards, but institutional autonomy makes drawing national comparisons problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]