The practice of dentistry in Canada is overseen by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) in conjunction with other agencies, such as the The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada and The Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Although ultimate licensure is the responsibility of individual provinces and territories, dentists must be certified on the federal level as well. Unlike medicine, dentistry is not funded by the government in Canada. There are roughly 16,000 practicing dentists in Canada.

Contents 1 Licensure 1.1 Graduation from an Accredited Program 1.2 NDEB Examination 1.3 Provincial Licensure 1.4 Specialty Examination 2 Foreign-Trained Dentists 3 Provincial Regulation 4 Dental Economics 5 References

[edit] Licensure

[edit] Graduation from an Accredited Program

The first step in practicing dentistry in Canada is graduating from an accredited D.D.S. or D.M.D. program in Canada or the United States. By reciprocal agreement, programs that are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada are recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, and vice versa. There are ten approved dental schools in Canada:

• University of Toronto (1868)
• McGill University (1905)
• Université de Montréal (1905)
• Dalhousie University (1908)
• University of Alberta (1923)
• University of Manitoba (1958)
• University of British Columbia (1964)
• University of Western Ontario (1966)
• University of Saskatchewan (1968)
• Université Laval (1971)

[edit] NDEB Examination

Candidates seeking to practice dentistry in Canada must successfully complete the two-part examination administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB). Dental students at accredited Canadian and 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. Upon successful completion of the exam, the NDEB issues a certificate to the candidate.

[edit] Provincial Licensure

Although being licenced at the federal level is a requirement to practice in Canada, individual provinces and territories regulate the practice of dentistry in their jurisdictions. Several provinces require applicants to complete a Jurisprudence and Ethics examination which tests knowledge related to local laws, ethics, and regulation of the profession.

[edit] Specialty Examination

Dentists who have completed specialty training and wish to practice as specialists must successfully complete the National Dental Specialty Examination (NDSE) administered by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (RCDC). The RCDC was established by an Act of the Federal Government of Canada in 1965 to promote high standards of specialization in the dental profession and to recognize properly trained dental specialists. This is accomplished through examinations created specifically for each dental specialty. Successful completion of the RCDC specialty examination may lead to Fellowship in the College and the use of the designation FRCD(C). The RCDC administers an examination for 9 specialties:

• Dental Public Health
• Endodontics
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology
• Orthodontics
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Periodontics
• Prosthodontics

The RCDC also offers an Examination in Dental Sciences to dentists who possess a DDS/DMD degree and who have undertaken a minimum of two consecutive years of advanced training, which ideally culminates with the awarding of an M.Sc. or Ph.D. degree. A Fellowship in Dental Sciences does not create a specialist in a field already recognized as a specialty by the College, nor does it create a new sub-specialty.

[edit] Foreign-Trained Dentists

Dentists who graduated from non-Canadian or non-U.S. dental schools must complete an accredited dental program, as a regular or degree-completion student, or complete an accredited Qualifying Program. Only programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation are recognized as accredited.

The Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry facilitates graduates of non-accredited dental programs in becoming licensed practitioners in Canada by providing the Eligibility Examination/Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for general dentists and the Dental Specialty Core Knowledge Examination (DSCKE) for graduates of specialty programs. The Eligibility Examination is currently an admissions requirement used by dental education institutions that provide a Qualifying Program or a Degree Completion Program for general dentists. In 2010, the PLA will replace the Eligibility Examination as the requirement for entry into these programs. The DSCKE is used to facilitate the admission process for entry into Dental Specialty Assessment and Training Programs offered at various Canadian faculties of dentistry.

[edit] Provincial Regulation

Every province and territory has a local Dental Regulatory Authority that oversees the practice of dentistry. In addition to a Dental Regulatory Authority, each jurisdiction also has a dental association. Membership in the provincial/territorial and national dental associations may be a necessary component of licensure. In other provinces, membership in a dental association is voluntary.

Province/Territory	Dental Regulatory Authority	Dental Association
Alberta	Alberta Dental Association and College	Alberta Dental Association and College
British Columbia	College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia	British Columbia Dental Association
Manitoba	Manitoba Dental Association	Manitoba Dental Association
New Brunswick	New Brunswick Dental Society	New Brunswick Dental Society
Newfoundland & Labrador	Newfoundland & Labrador Dental Board	Newfoundland & Labrador Dental Association
Northwest Territories	Government of the Northwest Territories	Northwest Territories & Nunavut Dental Association and Yukon Dental Association
Nova Scotia	Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia Dental Association
Nunavut	Nunavut Registrar's Office	Northwest Territories & Nunavut Dental Association and Yukon Dental Association
Ontario	Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario	Ontario Dental Association
Prince Edward Island	Dental Council of Prince Edward Island	Dental Association of Prince Edward Island
Quebec	Ordre des dentistes du Québec	Québec Dental Surgeons Association
Saskatchewan	College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan	College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan
Yukon	Registrar's Office	Northwest Territories & Nunavut Dental Association and Yukon Dental Association

[edit] Dental Economics

Although famous for its state administrated system of medicine, Canada does not currently have a government-funded dental system such as Medicaid in the U.S. Traditionally, dental care is paid for by individual patients or through private and/or employer-sponsored insurance plans.

[edit] References

NDEB
American Dental Association
Royal College of Dentists of Canada
Canadian Dental Association
Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry

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