Debrecen4U April 13, 2026

From Service Flat to Modern Dental Surgery

Change of function, new interior layout, complete refurbishment. A modern dental surgery will now welcome schoolchildren from the district in the Postakert Street building of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre (DSZC) Bethlen Gábor School of Economics Technical College and Student Hostel. The new unit was inaugurated on 10 April 2026.

Another milestone in the health development efforts of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre is the opening of the new paediatric dental surgery. The building, previously used as a service flat, has undergone a complete change of function and comprehensive refurbishment. During the project, all major areas of construction were addressed: structural, mechanical, electrical and interior design works were all carried out. With the rethinking of the interior spaces, two modern dental surgeries and a waiting area were created, the electrical network was renewed, and a full energy-efficiency upgrade was also implemented.

The building houses two treatment units, realised through the joint efforts of the city municipality, the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute (Daefi), and the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre. The works were carried out by the staff of the DSZC technical group, as well as tiling students in adult education and their instructor from the Debrecen SZC School of Construction Technology and Engineering, while the replacement of doors and windows was completed by an external contractor.

At the inauguration, Deputy Mayor Diána Széles stated that their aim is to ensure conditions that allow students to access screenings locally, close to their schools, in modern surroundings. Primary care in Debrecen falls under the municipality and is operated with city funding in professional cooperation with the University of Debrecen. As a caring city, Debrecen has uniquely retained both school dental primary care and orthodontic specialist services for school-age children, which is a great help to families. The infrastructure development was achieved through broad cooperation. The Deputy Mayor emphasised that the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre can always be relied upon in all areas related to health development, children’s well-being and safety. These units demonstrate how good it is to be a student in Debrecen: there is a maintainer who provides care, a professional partner delivering school dental services with excellent colleagues, and the city, which ensures funding through state support and its own resources – as highlighted by Diána Széles.

Zsolt Tirpák, Chancellor of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre, said that Debrecen is a city of cooperation and care. As he explained, caring for students and children is an important strategy of the centre, just as cooperation is a fundamental value. In Debrecen, stakeholders are capable of achieving significant results together. This is also true for the current development, which is not the first collaboration with Daefi – the Chancellor noted. For DSZC students and teachers, this provides an environment where, stepping beyond the framework of training workshops, they participate in shaping their surroundings. A strategic principle is to embed social responsibility into students’ thinking, emphasising that the school and training environment is developed and expanded jointly. An important advantage of school dental care is that it is accessible, easy to reach, and effectively supports students’ health development. In closing, the Chancellor expressed gratitude to all those involved in the refurbishment.

Institutional groups will arrive in an organised manner at the district school dental surgery for preventive treatments and screenings. In Debrecen, the modernisation of school dental services has been ongoing intensively for three years since the establishment of Daefi; with the current procurement, a total of 19 completely new and 5 refurbished treatment units are now available for children.

Csaba Papp, Director of the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute, emphasised in connection with the current development that, through the cooperation of city stakeholders, the infrastructure of dental care has now been completely renewed, and the service has also produced significant results. Before the COVID period, the average number of decayed teeth per child was 1; due to the suspension of screenings, lack of follow-up, and disrupted eating habits at home, this rose to 2.7. However, thanks to regular screenings, it has now once again approached 1, which is a significant achievement – the Director stressed.

Within Daefi’s school dental system, 42,000 children are cared for with screenings repeated every six months. In the treatment units inaugurated on 10 April 2026, 5,000 students from nearby institutions will participate in regular dental check-ups.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu