Two degrees are awarded for general dentistry: the DDS, or doctor of dental surgery, and the DMD, or doctor of dental medicine. Both degrees allow licensed dentists to practice the same kind of dentistry; the names are simply established at the discretion of the awarding college or university. The University of California at San Francisco, for example, awards the DDS, while Temple University awards the DMD.
Dental degrees are doctoral-level degrees and can only be earned after completion of a bachelor degree program. Most dental programs require students to have earned a minimum number of prerequisite hours in science courses. Students also must take the Dental Admissions Test, or DAT.
Dental training typically takes between three and four years to complete. Additional training is required, however, for students interested in specializing in a particular area, such as orthodontics. The University of Iowa, for example, offers a two-year training program in endodontics and a three-year training program in periodontics.
Upon completion of a dental program, graduates must become licensed by their state in order to work as a dentist. All states require a DMD or DDS degree from an accredited school (the Commission on Dental Accreditation is the nationally-recognized accrediting agency for dental programs) and an acceptable score on the National Board Dental Examination or a state-administered examination.
After initial licensure, many states require a certain number of continuing education hours for license renewal. The Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry, for example, requires 30 hours of continuing education for every biennial licensure period. The North Dakota Board of Dental Examiners requires 32 hours of continuing education every two years.
Links to state licensing boards:
- State Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama
- Alaska Board of Dental Examiners
- Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners
- Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners
- The Dental Board of California
- Colorado State Board of Dental Examiners
- Connecticut State Dental Commission
- Delaware State Board of Dental Examiners
- DC Board of Dentistry
- Florida Board of Dentistry
- Georgia Board of Dentistry
- Hawaii State Board of Dental Examiners
- Idaho State Board of Dentistry
- Illinois State Board of Dentistry
- Indiana State Board of Dentistry
- Iowa State Board of Dental Examiners
- Kansas Dental Board
- Kentucky Board of Dentistry
- Louisiana State Board of Dentistry
- Maine Board of Dental Examiners
- Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry
- Michigan Board of Dentistry
- Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners
- Missouri State Dental Board
- Montana Board of Dentistry
- Nebraska Board of Dentistry
- Nevada Board of Dental Examiners
- New Hampshire Board of Dental Examiners
- New Jersey State Board of Dentistry
- New Mexico Board of Dental Health Care
- New York State Board for Dentistry
- North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners
- North Dakota Board of Dentistry
- Ohio State Dental Board
- Oklahoma Board of Dentistry
- Oregon Board of Dentistry
- Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry
- Rhode Island State Board of Examiners in Dentistry
- South Carolina State Board of Dentistry
- South Dakota State Board of Dentistry
- Tennessee Board of Dentistry
- Texas State Board of Dental Examiners
- Utah Board of Dentists and Dental Hygienists
- Vermont Board of Dental Examiners
- Virginia Board of Dentistry
- Washington State Dental Health Care
- West Virginia Board of Dental Examiners
- Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board
- Wyoming Board of Dental Examiners
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