When looking through the Denver Dentists' list you may become overwhelmed and not be familiar with accreditation and certification requirements. Specialties are areas beyond the normal DDS or DDM educational curriculum requirements and, thus, require a separate certification examination.

Once an undergraduate decides dentistry is the desired field of study, he or she must take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), which is normally administered during their junior year in college. Prior to obtaining authorization to take the test the applicant must go through an interview. "The interview is designed to evaluate the motivation, character, and personality of the applicant. It is often a crucial step in the admissions process." (www.wikipedia.org)

DDS stands for "Doctor of Dental Surgery" while DDM means "Doctor of Dental Medicine". Both are general Denver Dentists, both have the same curriculum and board licensing boards at state level recognize both degrees as equivalent to practice general dentistry.

After completion of the regular Doctor of Dental Surgery (or Medicine) curriculum and graduation all graduates must pass the National Board Dental Exam (NBDE). "The purpose of the examination is to assist state boards in determining qualifications of dentists who seek licensure to practice dentistry. The examination assesses the ability to understand important information from basic biomedical and dental sciences and also the ability to apply such information in a problem-solving context." (www.ada.org.com) The organization responsible for the development and administering of the tests is the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE). The National Board Dental Exam is composed of three parts - Part 1, Guide, Part 2, Application and obtaining DENTPIN and, Part 3, Dental Hygiene. Those Denver Dentists that have passed this examination receive a National Board Certificate.

DENTPIN is the acronym meaning DENTal Personal Identifier Number. This number "is a unique personal identifier for applicants and students involved with the U.S. dental education system and standardized testing programs. Below, are the programs which use the DENTPIN as an identifier for students and test-takers.

• Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I/Part II
• National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE)
• American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Associated American Dental Schools Application Services (AADSAS)
• Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS)
• ADEA Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS)
• ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (CAAPID)" (www.ada.org)

Once Denver Dentists acquire their National Board Certification they must undergo testing at the state (Colorado) level. All Denver Dentists who graduated from schools located outside of the United States must "have received a Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from a dental school or college, which at the time of graduation, was accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation." Also, "accredited" refers to a program that is accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation or the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada." (www.ada.org)

Soon-to-be Denver Dentists must apply to the Colorado licensing board and take the state test, which is in the form of a written jurisprudence examination. This examination determines just how well the applicant knows and "tests the applicant's knowledge of that state's dental practice act." (www.ada.org Student Handbook)

Denver Dentists are fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Regional Testing Service (CRTS). Such "is a testing service made up of fifteen State Boards of Dentistry who have joined forces to develop and administer fair, valid and reliable examinations of competency to practice dentistry and dental hygiene." (www.crdts.org)

It is here that Denver Dentists must decide what path to follow - "either entrance into private practice, further postgraduate study and training, or even research and academics." (www.wikipedia.org)

The State of Colorado currently recognizes 9 dental specialties. Denver Dentists who have an interest is a specialized field must also take the pertinent examination for that specialty. All of these examinations are offered at state level.

"To become a specialist requires one to train in a residency or advanced graduate training program. Once residency is completed, the doctor is granted a certificate of specialty training. Many specialty programs have optional or required advanced degrees such as a masters degree: (MS, MSc, MDS, MSD, MDSc, MMSc, or MDent), doctoral degree: (DClinDent, DMSc, PhD), or medical degree: (MD/MBBS specific to maxillofacial surgery and sometimes oral medicine).

• Orthodontics: 2-3 years
• Endodontics: 2-3 years
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery: 4-6 years (additional time for MD/MBBS degree granting programs)
• Periodontics: 3 years
• Prosthodontics: 3 years (a prosthodontist may elect to sub-specialize in maxillofacial prosthetics which requires an additional year of training after completing a prosthodontic program)
• Oral and maxillofacial radiology: 3 years
• Oral and maxillofacial pathology: 3 years
• Pedodontics: 2-3 years
• Dental public health: 3 years

Denver Dentists who have completed accredited specialty training programs in these fields are designated "U.S. "Board Eligible" and warrant exclusive titles such as orthodontist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, endodontist, pedodontist, periodontist, or prosthodontist, upon satisfying certain local (U.S. "Board Certified"), (Australia/NZ: "FRACDS"), or (Canada: "FRCD(C)") registry requirements." (www.wikipedia.org)