For practices
Hire a locum dentist.
A locum dentist covers an absence, for a day or for a few months.
- Start
- Sometimes within dayssometimes weeks; we tell you straight away whether it’s realistic
- Duration
- A day to monthsfor illness, leave, holidays or someone leaving
- Arrangement
- Self-employedinvoiced all-in through us, or directly by the locum
Why this comes up so often.
Illness, maternity leave, a holiday that can’t be moved or a colleague who suddenly leaves — and the schedule is full.
For a dentist the day stands or falls with the schedule: when someone drops out, it isn’t just the care that suffers — revenue drops straight away too. In a solo practice you notice that within a week.
Honestly: locum work doesn’t solve a structural shortage. If you need the same dentist on fixed days every week, that is no longer locum work — and the Dutch tax authority looks at it differently too. In that case secondment or a permanent hire is the more honest answer, and we simply say so.
What to arrange before the locum starts.
The first day in your practice
A locum should be able to treat patients on day one, not go looking for things. Have the schedule for the first few days ready and mark which patients are partway through a treatment. Set up a login of their own for your practice software, show where materials and instruments are kept and put an assistant who knows the practice beside them.
Also agree who handles emergencies and how the handover works at the end of the period. The records stay yours: the locum records in your system, the way you are used to doing it. Tell patients before their appointment that a different dentist is standing in for a while, not once they are in the chair.
Checking registration and insurance
Without entry in the BIG register, nobody in the Netherlands may work independently as a dentist. You check that yourself: anyone can look up online, free of charge, whether a clinician is registered. The registration has to be renewed every five years, so look at where it stands today. How registration and re-registration work is explained on the page about BIG registration.
A locum works as a self-employed professional and needs their own professional liability insurance; practices that hire locums ask for it as standard. Ask about it before the first working day, and also about the complaints scheme that the Wkkgz requires of an independent care provider.
Taking another look at every extension
Locum work that goes well is often extended. That is usually where it goes wrong. A locum who works fixed days for months, gets the practice rate and is never allowed to send a substitute soon stops being self-employed in the eyes of the Dutch tax authority. Since 2026, anyone who knowingly carries on with such an arrangement also risks a penalty for culpable conduct.
So make every extension a fixed moment to go through the five questions from the decision guide, and record what you assessed and why. If the answers point more and more towards the practice, a permanent arrangement or secondment fits better than another extension.
How it works.
You call or email us what’s going on
Which days, what kind of work, and starting when. The earlier you get in touch the more choice there is, but even at short notice we’ll look at what’s possible.
We go into our network
No job-advert spam: we call the people we know do locum work and would fit your practice.
You speak to the locum yourself
If it clicks, we settle the arrangements: days, rate and period. The locum is self-employed; whether they invoice through us or directly to you, we agree once we know your situation.
Also possible.
Dentist, other arrangement
Locum, other role
- Hire a locum dental hygienistThe same approach, for a dental hygienist.
- Hire a locum orthodontistThe same approach, for an orthodontist.
- Hire a locum practice managerThe same approach, for a practice manager.
- Recruitment and selection in dental careLooking for someone permanent? This is how we go about it.
Frequently asked questions.
What should I put in writing with a locum dentist?
Start from the model locum agreement from KNMT, ANT and VvAA, which has been submitted to the Dutch tax authority. Make sure it covers at least: the period and the days, what happens on extension, the percentage or rate and what it is calculated on, arrangements on record keeping and handover, who is accountable for complaints, and the notice period. Read more in the article Hiring a locum: rates, agreements and pitfalls.
Is it better to agree a percentage of turnover or an hourly rate with a locum?
A percentage of turnover is more common in this market. Do the maths, though: 45 per cent of a well-filled schedule can work out fine for your practice, while 35 per cent of a half-empty rota makes nobody happy. With an hourly rate of € 120 to € 150 excluding VAT you pay roughly € 960 to € 1.200 per 8-hour clinical day, even on a day when the schedule isn’t full.
What happens if the locum drops out?
A locum works as a self-employed professional: if they are ill, they are not paid, and that risk lies with them, not with you. It does still leave your schedule unfilled. So agree in advance whether they may send another qualified colleague as a substitute. That helps your rota, and it fits how the Dutch tax authority looks at genuinely independent work.
Who arranges a locum dentist?
Denta Staffing finds locum dentists for practices in the Netherlands and Belgium, for a day up to a few months, from a network we know personally. We tell you straight away whether your request is realistic.
What is a normal rate for a locum dentist?
Most locum dentists work for 30 to 50 per cent of turnover, with around 40 per cent as the usual middle. Per hour, € 120 to € 150 excluding VAT is usual for an experienced locum.
How quickly can a locum start?
Sometimes within a few days, sometimes it takes weeks. That depends on the period, the days you need and how specialised the work is. We don’t promise lead times we can’t deliver — but we do tell you straight away whether it’s realistic.
Can locum work turn into a permanent role?
Yes, that happens regularly. Someone covers a period, both sides are happy, and then we look together at a permanent arrangement. That doesn’t have to be settled in advance.
What does it cost?
You pay the locum’s rate plus our margin per hour. How high that margin is depends on the duration, the number of hours and the role. We work it out for you before you commit to anything, and there is no small print. The maximum is on frequently asked questions.
Which roles besides dentist is this available for?
For dentists, orthodontists, dental hygienists, practice managers and dental technicians. For assistants and front desk staff we work with secondment.
