A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
Degrees Dental degrees may include:
Bachelor's degree Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) Bachelor of Dentistry (BDent) Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) Bachelor of Science in Dentistry (BScD) Bachelor of Medicine in Dental Medicine (BM) Baccalaureus Dentalis Chirurgiae (BChD)
Master's degree
Master of Science (MS or MSc) Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD or MScD) Master of Medical Science (MMSc) Master of Dentistry (MDent) Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) Master of Dental Science (MDentSci) Master of Stomatology (MS) Master of Clinical Stomatology (MCS) Master of Stomatological Medicine (MSM)
Doctorate Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Doctor of Dental Medicine/Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent) Doctor of Dental Science (DDSc) Doctor of Science in Dentistry (DScD) Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) Doctor of Dentistry (DDent) Doctor of Philosophy in Dentistry (PhD)
Certificates and fellowships
Certificates In some universities, especially in the United States, some postgraduate programs award certificates only. Diploma in Dentistry (SMF) Certificate, GPR/AEGD/Orofacial Pain Certificate, Anesthesiology/Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology/Endodontics/Prosthodontics/Periodontics/Orthodontics/Dental Public Health/Pediatric Dentistry/OMS (American Dental Association – recognized specialty programs) Certificate, DMTDBANGLADESH/SMF
Commonwealth post-nominals In commonwealth countries, the Royal Colleges of Dentistry (or Faculty of Dentistry of the college) awards post-nominals upon completion of a series of examinations. Fellow of the Medical College in Dental Surgery (FMCDS), the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS), the West African College of Surgeons Fellow of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons (FDSRCS) Membership in the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow [MFDS RCPS (Glasg)] Membership in the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College Surgeons (MFDS RCS) Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (FRACDS) Membership in the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (MRACDS) Membership in Orthodontics, Royal College of Surgeons (MOrth RCS) Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (FRCD(C)) Member of Royal College of Dentists of Canada (MRCD(C)) Fellow of the College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong (FCDSHK) Member of the College of Dental Surgeons of Hong Kong (MCDSHK) Fellow College of Physician and Surgeons, Bangladesh (FCPS) Fellow College of Physician and Surgeons, Pakistan (FCPS) License of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons (L.D.S. (Eng.)) Fellowship in Sports Dentistry/Fellow Sports Dentistry (FSD) In the U.S., most dental specialists attain Board Certification (Diplomate Status) by completing a series of written and oral examinations with the appropriate Boards. e.g. Diplomate, American Board of Periodontics.
Each fully qualifies the holder to practice dentistry in at least the jurisdiction in which the degree was presented, assuming local and federal government licensure requirements are met.
Countries and regions
Oceania
Australia Australia has nine dental schools: University of Sydney, NSW Charles Sturt University, NSW* Griffith University, QLD* University of Queensland, QLD James Cook University, QLD* University of Adelaide, SA La Trobe University, VIC* University of Melbourne, VIC University of Western Australia, WA
(*) indicates new university dental programs that have opened up to aim at increasing the number of rural dental students entering and to return to rural practice. Traditional "sandstone" universities have been Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide and Western Australia.
Sydney (as of 2001), Melbourne (as of 2010) and Western Australia (as of 2013) have switched to 4-year graduate program that require a previous bachelor's degree for admission.
Postgraduate training is available in all dental specialties. Degrees awarded used to be Master of Dental Surgery/Science (MDS/MDSc), but lately have changed to Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent).
New Zealand New Zealand has only one dental school: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin
The Faculty of Dentistry awards Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Master of Community Dentistry (MComDent) for public health & community dentistry, and Doctorate in Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent) for the other dental specialties.
The body responsible for registering dental practitioners is the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ).
Trans Tasman mutual recognition Both Australia and New Zealand recognize the educational and professional qualifications and grant professional licenses via reciprocity identical to the United States and Canada.
General Dental Council of the UK The United Kingdom General Dental Council had been recognizing the Australian and New Zealand dental qualification as registrable degree until 2000. Graduates who have applied for dental license registration in the United Kingdom now have to sit the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE), a three-part examination.
Canadian registration Australia and Canada have a reciprocal accreditation agreement, which allows graduates of Canadian or Australian dental schools to register in either country. However, this only applies to the graduates of 2011 class and does not apply to the previous years' graduates.
Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS) is a postgraduate body that focuses on postgraduate training of general practitioners and specialist dentists. Additional postgraduate qualifications can be obtained through the college after the candidate has completed the Primary Examination (basic science examination in anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry, pathology and microbiology) and the Final Examination (clinical subjects in dentistry). After the successful completion of the examinations and meeting the college requirements, the candidate is awarded the title of Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (FRACDS). For the dental specialists, the exam pathway is similar (Primary Examinations) and then clinical/oral examinations just prior to completing the specialist training leads to the award of the title Member of Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in Special Field Stream (MRACDS (SFS)). For the busy GP dentists, MRACDS in general stream is also available.
Bangladesh The graduation in Dentistry is named here as Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) also have diploma in Dentistry. At present there are three universities that have medical faculty that offer dental degrees: The University of Dhaka, the University of Chittagong, the University of Rajshahi, and diplomas also by the state medical faculty. These public universities have dental colleges and hospitals that may be publicly or privately funded, that offer education for the degree.
At present, postgraduate degrees in specialized dentistry exist in main four clinical specialities: Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics Prosthodontics
Canada
There are ten approved dental schools in Canada: University of Toronto (1868) [D.D.S.] McGill University (1905) [D.M.D.] Université de Montréal (1905) [D.M.D.] Dalhousie University (1908) [D.D.S.] University of Alberta (1923) [D.D.S.] University of Manitoba (1958) [D.M.D.] University of British Columbia (1964) [D.M.D.] University of Western Ontario (1966) [D.D.S.] University of Saskatchewan (1968) [D.M.D.] Université Laval (1971) [D.M.D.]
Several universities in Canada offer the DDS degree, including the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Alberta, and Dalhousie University, while the remaining Canadian dental schools offer the Doctor of Dental Medicine degree to their graduates.
Additional qualifications can be obtained through the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (RCDC), which administers examinations for qualified dental specialists as part of the dentistry profession in Canada. The current examinations are known as the National Dental Specialty Examination (NDSE). Successful completion may lead to Fellowship in the college (FRCD(C)) and may be used for provincial registration purposes.
Canada has a reciprocal accreditation agreement with Australia, Ireland, and the United States, which recognize the dental training of graduates of Canadian dental schools. Obtaining licensure to work in any of the three other countries often requires additional steps, such as successfully completing national board examinations and fulfilling requirements of local governing bodies.
China China has many universities teaching dental degrees both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Chinese universities have adapted the programmes of American and European degrees. The undergraduate degree is Bachelor of Medicine with a major in stomatology or dental surgery, and the postgraduate degree is Master of Medicine in stomatology (). Recently, China has a new name for its master's degree as Master of Stomatological Medicine (MSM). The MSM has been offered by top class Chinese universities. This program includes a comprehensive syllabus to produce graduates with extensive knowledge in respective specialties, skills in clinical practice, and research potential. The other branches of dentistry remain the same as American universities.
Finland In Finland, education in dentistry is through a 5.5-year Licenciate of Dental Medicine (DMD or DDS) course, which is offered after high school graduation. Application is by a national combined dental and medical school entry examination. As of 2011, dentistry is provided by Faculties of Medicine in four universities: University of Helsinki University of Turku University of Oulu University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio Campus
The first phase of training begins with a unified two-year preclinical training for dentists and physicians. Problem-based learning (PBL) is employed depending on university. The third year-autumn consists of clinico, theoretical phase in pathology, genetics, radiology and public health, and is partially combined with physicians' second phase. Third-phase clinical training lasts for the remaining three years and includes periods of being on call at University Central Hospital Trauma Centre, Clinic of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, and the Children's clinic. Candidates who successfully complete the fourth year of training qualify for a paid summer rotation in a Community health center of their choice. Annual intake of dentists into Faculties of Medicine is a national total 160 students.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research is strongly encouraged alongside postgraduate training, which is available in all four universities and lasts an additional 3–6 years. Starting in 2014, the University of Helsinki introduced a new doctoral training system. In this new system, all doctoral candidates belong to a doctoral programme within a doctoral school. FINDOS Helsinki – Doctoral Programme in Oral Sciences – is a programme in the Doctoral School in Health Sciences.
The 11 postgraduate programs are:
Clinical dentistry: Periodontology Pedodontology and Preventive Dentistry Cariology and Endodontology Prosthodontology and Stomatognathic Physiology Diagnostic dentistry: Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine Oral Clinical Microbiology (starts in 2014) Other: Orthodontics Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Oral Public Health
India