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Many dentists go on to specialise in a particular discipline after they complete their dental degree; this involves doing additional study and practical experience as well as passing exams. A dentist can only call themselves a dental specialist if they have completed the training recommended by the General Dental Council; however, a dentist can carry out treatments that come under specialist areas without additional training; for example, a dentist can treat children even though they don’t have specialist paediatric training.

What are specialist areas?

Specialist areas are different fields of dentistry; the General Dental Council currently recognises 13 different specialist areas including: dental public health, oral and maxillofacial pathology, endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, paediatric dentistry, periodontics, special care dentistry, oral medicine, prosthodontics, oral microbiology, restorative dentistry and dental and maxillofacial radiology.

What training is needed to become a specialist?

Specialist training is a comprehensive training pathway that is set out by the General Dental Council. All dentists must complete their Bachelor’s degree before thinking about a specialist area. Following the completion of the dentistry degree, dentists are required to practice for a minimum of 2 years in a professional setting as part of a postgraduate general professional training programme.

The dentist must then complete a further 3-5 years of specialist training and pass exams before they can be referred to as a dental specialist. When this period of study and practical training has been completed, the dentist will be granted either an Intercollegiate Fellowship or a Speciality Membership with the Royal College of Surgeons; following this they can apply for their Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training, which must be given before the dentist can join the list of dental specialists controlled by the General Dental Council. There are many specialist dentists in essex.