In the United States, Canada, and Australia, there are nine recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry.
To become a specialist requires training in a residency or advanced graduate training program. Once a residency is completed, the doctor is granted a certificate of specialty training. Many specialty programs have optional or required advanced degrees such as a master's degree, such as the Master of Science (MS or MSc), Master of Dental Surgery/Science (MDS/MDSc), Master of Dentistry (MDent), Master of Clinical Dentistry (MClinDent), Master of Philosophy (MPhil), Master of Medical Science (MMS or (MMSc); doctorate such as Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent), Doctor of Medical Science/Sciences (DMSc), or PhD;or medical degree: Doctor of Medicine/Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MD/MBBS) specific to maxillofacial surgery and sometimes oral medicine).
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Specialists in these fields are designated "registrable" (in the United States, "board eligible") and warrant exclusive titles such as orthodontist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, endodontist, pediatric dentist, periodontist, or prosthodontist upon satisfying certain local (U.S., "Board Certified"), (Australia and New Zealand: Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, designated by the post-nominal "FRACDS"), or (Canada: Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists, designated by the postnominal "FRCD(C)") registry requirements.
The American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM) provides board-certification examinations annually for qualified dentists. These dentists collaborate with sleep physicians at accredited sleep centers and can provide oral appliance therapy and upper airway surgery to treat sleep-related breathing disorders.[1] While Diplomate status granted by the ABDSM is not one of the recognized dental specialties, it is recognized by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). (See sleep dentistry in the section of sleep medicine about the US.)
A few other post-graduate formal advanced education programs: GPR, GDR, MTP residencies (advanced clinical and didactic training with intense hospital experience) and AEGD, SEGD, and GradDipClinDent programs (advanced training in clinical dentistry) are recognized but do not lead to specialization.
Other dental education exists where no postgraduate formal university training is required: cosmetic dentistry, dental implant, temporo-mandibular joint therapy. These usually require the attendance of one or more continuing education courses that typically last for one to several days. There are restrictions on allowing these dentists to call themselves specialists in these fields. The specialist titles are registrable titles and controlled by the local dental licensing bodies.
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