Postgraduate Training vs Initial Qualifications

Many dental school pages list programs that sound like the next step after a dental degree: master's programs, certificates, residencies, diplomas and PhDs. They are not alternatives to the initial dental qualification. They sit above it, assume it, and lead to different outcomes. Mixing them up is one of the most costly mistakes a student or parent can make.

The initial qualification comes first

The initial dental qualification is the entry route to practising as a dentist in a given system. Postgraduate programs build on it. The Dental Board of Australia, for instance, states that all applicants for specialist registration must hold a qualification in the specialty and meet all the requirements for general registration as a dentist, and describes a minimum of two years of general dental practice among its requirements. In other words, specialty training is a second layer, not a shortcut around the first.

Kinds of postgraduate training

Specialty programs

CODA's own description lists the advanced dental education areas it accredits in the United States: advanced education in general dentistry, general practice residency, dental anesthesiology, orofacial pain, oral medicine, dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics. CODA also publishes separate standards for each. The Dental Board of Australia lists 13 specialties approved in Australia, which overlap with but are not identical to the US list. Specialties and their names are therefore national.

Master's degrees and certificates

A school may award a master's degree, a certificate or both alongside specialty training, and the same clinical training may carry different awards in different schools. A certificate is not a degree. A master's degree is not automatic specialist registration, and a specialty certificate does not by itself satisfy initial-degree licensing. Whether a given program counts as recognized specialist training is decided by the specialty body or regulator of the country concerned, not by the school.

Research degrees

A PhD or similar doctorate is a research qualification. It is not a clinical qualification to practise dentistry, and a DDS or DMD is not a PhD. Some programs combine specialty training and research; the research component must be described separately. See the research section.

Advanced standing

Programs designed for internationally educated dentists are a different thing again: ADEA says the advanced standing programs listed through its CAAPID service are typically shorter than traditional D.D.S./D.M.D. programs. See Advanced Standing for International Dentists.

What postgraduate study does not do

• It does not replace licensure. The American Dental Association explains that licensure requirements are set by state boards, with an educational requirement tied to a CODA-accredited dental degree program, a written examination and, in most jurisdictions, a clinical assessment. Postgraduate study does not by itself change that.
• It does not automatically give specialist title. In Australia and New Zealand the councils have their own specialist registers and examinations. The Dental Council of New Zealand, for instance, describes a dental specialist registration examination for those without a prescribed qualification, consisting of a written examination, a clinical examination, case presentations, an oral examination and evaluation of research skills.
• It does not guarantee employment. Posts, referral patterns and demand vary and are outside what this directory can say.

Comparing programs

Questions to ask

• Does this program lead to a recognized specialty in the country where I want to practise, or only to an academic award?
• Which body recognizes the specialty, and what does it require beyond this program?
• Will I treat patients, and under what licence or registration while I am in training?
• Is the award a degree, a certificate or a diploma, and who awards it?
• If I move country afterwards, how has the regulator treated graduates before?

Where to look on this site

The postgraduate section groups specialty and master's programs by specialty. It never mixes them with initial dental degrees. For how to assess whether any of these awards leads to registration in your intended country, read Registration in Your Intended Practice Country.

Practical checks before enrolling

Before enrolling in any postgraduate dental program, look for three documents: the school's description of the award, the accreditor's entry for the specific program, and the specialist body's or regulator's page describing what it requires for the specialty. If the three do not line up, ask the school to explain the gap.

Ask also what the program says about prior experience. Some programs require a period of general practice before entry, and some regulators require it before specialist registration, as Australia's Dental Board does. A program that does not ask about experience may not meet a regulator's conditions on its own. Finally, remember that being admitted to postgraduate study, even in a country where you do not hold a licence, does not itself give you the right to treat patients; ask what registration or permission applies while you are in training.

Common questions

Can I enter a master's program with only a hygiene qualification? Programs set their own entry rules; most dental postgraduate programs assume a dentist qualification. Read the school's entry requirements.

Is a residency the same as a master's? Not necessarily. Terms differ by country, and awards, funding and status as a trainee differ as well.

Do I need to be registered before I start? Some programs require registration in the country, others do not. Ask the program and the regulator.

A note on titles

Program titles such as "Master of Dental Surgery", "Doctor of Clinical Dentistry" or "Diploma in Orthodontics" do not tell you the status of the award. Read the program description and the accreditor's entry, and ask whether the award is a degree, a diploma or a certificate and what the regulator says about it. If the title and the regulator's description disagree, trust the regulator.