DDS vs DMD vs BDS

DDS, DMD and BDS are the abbreviations most often seen on dental school pages. They are titles of initial dental qualifications, and in practice the title is a poor guide to quality, length or where a graduate can work. This guide explains what the letters stand for, how regulators treat them, and what to check instead.

What the abbreviations stand for

• DDS stands for Doctor of Dental Surgery.
• DMD stands for Doctor of Dental Medicine.
• BDS stands for Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

Other titles exist (for example BChD, BDent and BDSc) along with national titles in other languages such as Zahnmedizin, Odontologia or Diş Hekimliği. The directory records the title exactly as the school or regulator writes it; see the initial dental degrees section.

DDS and DMD: two names, one licensure requirement in the United States

In the United States the American Dental Association explains that nearly all states require a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree from a university-based dental education program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The centralized application service for US and Canadian dental schools, ADEA AADSAS, likewise says it supports applicants seeking both D.D.S. and D.M.D. degrees. In other words, for licensure purposes in those systems the two titles are treated as the same kind of award, and which one a school grants is a matter of that university's naming tradition.

That does not mean every program called DDS or DMD is accredited. The title says nothing about accreditation status; the accreditor's list does. See Dental-School Accreditation.

BDS and other bachelor-titled degrees

BDS is a bachelor's-level title. A bachelor's title does not mean a lower professional level, and a doctoral-sounding title does not mean a higher one. Programs differ in length, in whether they follow earlier university study, and in how much clinical work they contain, and these are the facts that regulators look at. The FDI World Dental Federation's policy statement on equivalency of dental diplomas states that, given the diversity of programs in curriculum, length and quality of education and clinical training, it considers a global equivalency of diplomas premature, and supports evaluation of equivalence by appropriate organizations in each state, country or region.

The Canadian examining board makes the same point from a practical angle: it speaks of individuals who hold a "DDS/DMD/BDS" from a non-accredited program, and gives them the same set of pathways whatever the three letters are. What counts is whether the program is accredited, not which abbreviation appears on the diploma.

Comparing titles across systems

Common mistakes

Treating DDS or DMD as a research doctorate

A DDS or DMD is a professional dentist degree. It is not a PhD and does not make a graduate a researcher in the academic sense. Research degrees are a separate track; see the postgraduate and research sections of this site.

Assuming a title upgrades after a certificate

A certificate, short course or diploma is not a degree. A master's degree in a specialty is not automatic specialist registration, and neither replaces the initial dental qualification.

Assuming "doctor" titles guarantee recognition abroad

Countries do not compare titles; they compare education. The Dental Council of New Zealand, for example, requires a prescribed qualification, or a qualification assessed as equivalent to, or as satisfactory as, a prescribed one. The Dental Board of Australia describes an Australian qualification or its Australian Dental Council assessment process as the two routes when an overseas qualification does not meet its requirements. A DDS from one country, a BDS from another and a DMD from a third are each assessed on their own facts.

What to check instead of the letters

1. Look for the awarding institution and the exact program name in the school's own admissions pages.
2. Check whether it is accredited and by which body, and read the accreditor's own list or decision.
3. Read the regulator's overseas-qualification page for the country where you intend to practise.
4. Ask the school what graduates have to do to sit examinations or register in that country.
5. Use compare and recognition on this site to organize notes; they do not replace the regulator.

Nothing in a degree title promises admission, registration, a visa or employment. It is one data point among several.

Two worked examples in words

Imagine two applicants. The first is considering a DMD in North America and a BDS in another country. The temptation is to ask which title is more prestigious. The better question is what the accreditor and the regulator of the intended practice country say about each program. For the North American program, the answer begins with the accreditor's list and the state or provincial board. For the second, it begins with that country's authorization of the university and then with the regulator in the intended practice country.

The second applicant holds a BDS and wonders whether a DDS or DMD abroad would be "an upgrade". It is not an upgrade in any formal sense. A regulator assessing the BDS looks at the education and clinical training behind it, and repeating a dentist degree is a decision that should come only after the regulator has said that the existing qualification cannot be assessed or accepted. Write to the regulator first; the answer may be an examination or a shorter qualifying program instead.

In both cases the title is a label on the file, and the file is what gets assessed.

Common questions

Is a doctoral title more advanced than a bachelor's title for dentists? Not in itself. What matters is the program's content, accreditation and whether the regulator accepts it.

Do employers prefer one title? This directory does not make claims about employer preferences. Regulators register people on the basis of qualification and assessment, not on the letters.

Can I call myself "Dr" with a BDS? Rules on titles are national and professional; check the regulator's rules in the country where you practise rather than assuming.