graduating dentists have either a B.D.S. (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) or B.D.Sc degree (Bachelor of Dental Science).

Specialties in dentistry such as orthodontics (straightening of teeth), oral and maxillofacial surgery, pedodontics (treatment for children), periodontics (treatment of gum disease), prosthodontics (replacement of missing teeth by prosthesis such as dentures, bridges and dental implants), dental insurance florida conservative dentistry (restoration of existing teeth), endodontics (root canal therapy), dental public health (study of dental epidemiology and social health policies), forensic odontology (gathering and use of dental evidence in law),oral radiology, oral pathology (study of oral and dentally related diseases) would require usually between 2-3 years of further formal university training. Specialists in these fields might be designated registrable & sometimes exclusive titles such as orthodontist, oral surgeon, pedodontist, periodontist, prosthodontist upon satisfying certain local registry requirements.

The longest record for such routine training and qualifying dental insurance florida requirement for dental specialties in the world exists in Hong Kong where 6 years of pre-specialty, formal training and supervised practice are prescribed. It is uncertain if trainees dental insurance florida there are more intellectually challenged than those in, say, North America, Australia or the United Kingdom where the specialty route may only take 2-3 years.

Other dental "specialties" exists where no formal university training are required : cosmetic dentistry, dental implant, temperal-mandibular joint therapy. These usually require the attendance of one or more "hotel courses" that typically last for one to several days. There is usually no restriction for these dentists to call themselves specialists in these fields when the "specialist" titles are not restrictive and registrable dental insurance florida titles controlled by the local dental licensing bodies.