The practice of dentistry in Canada is overseen by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada in conjunction with other agencies, such as the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada and the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. In 2013 there were 21,109 dentists in Canada according to the Canadian Dental Association. [1]
In 2023, the Government of Canada established the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which began a staggered enrolment rollout in December 2023, to pay costs for covered dental services of eligible residents. [2]
Dentistry is a regulated profession in Canada. In order to practice dentistry, a dentist must obtain a license or permit from the province or territory they wish to practice in. The main requirement to obtain licensure in all Canadian provinces and territories is passing the National Dental Examination Board exams. Several provinces require applicants to complete a jurisprudence and ethics examination which tests knowledge related to local laws, ethics, and regulation of the profession. [3]
Candidates seeking to practice dentistry in Canada must successfully complete a two-part examination administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB). Dental students at one of the 10 accredited Canadian or one of the 66 accredited American dental schools are permitted to take the examination no earlier than 3 months prior to graduation, which usually means the March of their graduating year. [4] [5] Upon successful completion of the exam, the NDEB issues a certificate to the candidate. [6]
To be eligible to write the NDEB exam, candidates must have:
Foreign-trained dentists can obtain a DMD or DDS from an accredited dental school in Canada or the United States by enrolling in a qualifying or advanced standing program. Typically, the program would consist of the last two to three years of a typical dental program.
The dental schools that offer these programs in Canada are:
In 2011, the equivalency process for foreign-trained dentists was launched.
The process consists of three exams:
The alternative route of going through a qualifying program or advanced standing program still exists. [16] To gain a licence to practice dentistry in Canada: there is International Dentist Advanced Placement Program (IDAPP).Non-accredited programs Countries recognised by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) are: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, USA. If you qualified in a country not listed above, you will be considered non-accredited. [17]
When it first launched in 2011, only 44 candidates passed the equivalency process. In 2014 over 260 candidates passed and in 2017, that number rose to 307 candidates. [6] [18] [19] These numbers are expected to keep going up as the number of candidates challenging the exams has been rising steadily year after year. [19]
According to the Canadian Dental Association, the population-to-dentist ratio has been dropping in all provinces and territories. [20] This dentist glut is resulting in growing competition and tough times for dentists especially in urban centres like Toronto. [21] [22]
dentalcorp is Canada’s largest network of dental clinics. It started in 2011 and has grown to over 500 locations serving 2 million Canadians . [23] Altima Dental was established in 1993 and has over 30 dental offices. [24] Other dental groups include 123dentist, [25] Dental Choice [26] and tooth corner Dental. These big groups, however, are also gaining increased criticism for lacking a "personal touch". [27]
The first woman to be licensed as a dentist in Canada was Emma Gaudreau Casgrain in 1898. She was trained by her husband, dental surgeon Henri-Edmond Casgrain, an innovator in dentistry.
One in three Canadians has no dental insurance and over six million people in Canada don't visit the dentist every year because they can't afford to. The New Democratic Party (NDP) supports expanding the national health care system to include dental care. [28]
A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providing oral health services. The dental team includes dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and sometimes dental therapists.
The University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry is a dental school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the ten dental schools in Canada. It is the largest dental school in Canada with a range of undergraduate and graduate level programs with a total enrolment in the range of 560. The faculty is located at the heart of Downtown Toronto's Discovery District, a neighbourhood with a high concentration of hospitals and research institutes, just south of the University of Toronto's St. George campus. In 2014, the Faculty of Dentistry joined the Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration (TAAAC), providing support in building capacity for oral health in Ethiopia by creating collaborative teaching opportunities.
The Royal College of Dentists of Canada is a regulatory college which administers examinations for qualified dental specialists as part of the dentistry profession in Canada. Its headquarters are in Toronto.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the oral cavity (mouth), head and neck, and jaws, as well as facial cosmetic surgery/facial plastic surgery including cleft lip and cleft palate surgery.
A dental hygienist or oral hygienist is a licensed dental professional, registered with a dental association or regulatory body within their country of practice. Prior to completing clinical and written board examinations, registered dental hygienists must have either an associate's or bachelor's degree in dental hygiene from an accredited college or university. Once registered, hygienists are primary healthcare professionals who work independently of or alongside dentists and other dental professionals to provide full oral health care. They have the training and education that focus on and specialize in the prevention and treatment of many oral diseases.
The Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) is the dental school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to the DMD degree, HSDM offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, and a PhD program through the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The program considers dentistry a specialty of medicine. Therefore, all students at HSDM experience dual citizenship between Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Medical School. Today, HSDM is the smallest school at Harvard University with a total student body of 280.
A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
The UCLA School of Dentistry is the dental school of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in the Center for Health Sciences building in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. The school has several educational and training programs, conducts oral and dental health research, and offers affordable dental care at three locations: Westwood, Venice, and Inglewood. The school also participates in several outreach endeavors, including numerous health fairs during the year, STEM pipeline programs and provides dental care for underserved populations in the region. The School of Dentistry is considered among the nation's best research-intensive dental schools.
The Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry is the combined medical school and dental school of the University of Western Ontario, a public university in London, Ontario, Canada
The University of the East College of Dentistry was first established as a unit of the Philippine College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1948. The college is one of the pioneers of dental education and labeled as one of the top dental schools in the Philippines.
Dentistry throughout the world is practiced differently, and training in dentistry varies as well.
Oral and maxillofacial radiology, also known as dental and maxillofacial radiology, or even more common DentoMaxilloFacial Radiology, is the specialty of dentistry concerned with performance and interpretation of diagnostic imaging used for examining the craniofacial, dental and adjacent structures.
The Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, often abbreviated CDM, is one of the twenty graduate and professional schools of Columbia University. It is located at 630 West 168th Street in Manhattan, New York City. According to American Dental Education Association, CDM is one of the most selective dental schools in the United States based on average DAT score, GPA, and acceptance rate. In 2017, 1,657 people applied for 84 positions in its entering class. The median undergraduate GPA and average DAT score for successful applicants in 2020 were 3.62 and 22.8, respectively.
Dental anesthesiology is the specialty of dentistry that deals with the advanced use of general anesthesia, sedation and pain management to facilitate dental procedures.
The Ohio State University College of Dentistry is one of the graduate and professional schools of Ohio State University. The college is the fourth largest public dental school in the U.S. and consists of nine academic divisions representing all major dental specialties. In addition to the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degrees, the Ohio State College of Dentistry offers specialty training programs, advanced training programs, MS programs, and a Ph.D. program in Oral Biology. Outreach and Engagement activities include over 60 active programs and more than 42 extramural sites, which continue to expand.
The National Dental Examining Board of Canada, also known as the NDEB, is the organization that is responsible for granting approval for dentists to practice in Canada through standardized examinations. Its headquarters are in Ottawa.
Pediatric dentistry is the branch of dentistry dealing with children from birth through adolescence. The specialty of pediatric dentistry is recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.
The School of Dentistry is a dental school within Meharry Medical College located in the United States city of Nashville, Tennessee.
The practice of dentistry in the United States is overseen by several agencies, including the American Dental Association, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, and the regional boards. Ultimate licensure is the responsibility of individual states. There are roughly 190,000 practicing dentists in the United States.
In the United States and Canada, there are twelve recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry. In the United Kingdom and Australia, there are thirteen.