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Postgraduate Training
After receiving the D.D.S. or equivalent, dentists may apply
for postgraduate training at hospitals or dental schools.
Some programs lead to a master's degree, and doctoral study
may also be available. These degree programs typically prepare
graduates for teaching or research careers.
A university or a hospital may sponsor non-degree residency
programs with a clinical focus. General practice residencies
are highly competitive, and typically only about 4 percent
of the students enrolled are foreign nationals. Specialty
residencies tend to admit a considerably larger proportion
of internationally educated dentists. These residencies offer
training in dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial
pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and
dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics,
or prosthodontics.
No one process exists to qualify internationally trained
dentists seeking to study in the United States. One common
requirement is that applicants must pass one or both parts
of the National Board Dental Examination. Some specialty areas,
such as oral surgery and periodontics, require that dentists
complete at least the last two years of professional study
at a U.S. university and earn a first professional degree
at a dental school accredited by the American Dental Association.
(About half of U.S. dental schools offer admission at an advanced
level for internationally educated dentists wishing to complete
a U.S. first professional degree.) State licensure and national
board certification may also be required in some cases. Dental
schools are more likely than hospitals to consider international
applicants who do not have a U.S. license.
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