The many possibilities open to foreign-trained dentists are too complex to cover adequately here. Consult the pamphlet Dentistry in the United States: Information on Education and Licensure (American Dental Association).

First Professional Degree:
D.M.D. or D.D.S.

The first professional degree may be called either the D.M.D. (Doctor of Dental Medicine) or the D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery). It is usually a four-year degree program and is offered at 55 dental schools accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Requirements for entrance may include:

• At least two years of undergraduate education; but 89% of the first-year dental class completed four years of pre-professional education and that 76% of the first-year dental class received a baccalaureate degree prior to dental school enrollment.
• Completion of undergraduate courses in inorganic and organic chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and English.
• Satisfactory performance on the Dental Admission Test (DAT) offered at any previously arranged times at Prometric Test Centers.

Graduates of foreign dental schools may apply for admission and advanced standing in the first professional degree program. About 45% of the dental schools consider applications from graduates of foreign dental schools for admission to the second or third year of the basic dental degree program. They would have to take the National Board Part I examinations

In most states, licensure requires graduation with a D.D. S. or D.M.D. degree from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Since the Commission only accredits American and Canadian schools, this presents a problem for foreign dentists who do not want to repeat part of their basic dental education by entering a first professional degree program, even with advanced standing.

Fortunately, 20 states do make it possible for graduates of foreign medical schools to obtain licensure without returning to a basic dental education program. However, they will usually require that the individual should have graduated from a program recognized in his own country, and that s/he pass the National Board Dental Examinations. Many also require up to two years supplementary education in an accredited dental school with a special program for foreign dentists.

Universities conduct graduate programs leading to either the Master of Science (M.S.), Master of Science in Dentistry (M.S. D), or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Postgraduate dental programs, on the other hand, may be conducted in hospitals, and lead to a certificate rather than a degree. This distinction between "graduate" and "postgraduate" appears to be a peculiarity of dental education.