Dentistry in Canada

Candidates seeking to practice dentistry in Canada must successfully complete a two-part examination administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB). Dental students at accredited Canadian and American dental schools are permitted to take the examination no earlier than 3 months prior to graduation, which usually means the March of their graduating year. Upon successful completion of the exam, the NDEB issues a certificate to the candidate.[3]

To be eligible to write the NDEB exam, candidates must have:

1. Graduated from an accredited dental school in Canada, the United States, Australia (since 2011), New Zealand (since 2011), or Ireland (since 2012) [4] or
2. Passed the equivalency process for graduates of other dental schools (foreign trained dentists).[5]

Foreign-trained dentists can obtain a DMD or DDS from an accredited dental school in Canada or the United States by enrolling in a qualifying or advanced standing program. Typically, the program would consist of the last two to three years of a typical dental program.

The dental schools that offer these programs in Canada are:

• Dalhousie University[6]
• University of Alberta[7]
• University of British Columbia[8]
• University of Toronto[9]
• University of Manitoba[10]
• University of Western Ontario[11]
• McGill University[12]
• Université de Montréal[13]
• University of Saskatchewan

In 2011, the equivalency process for foreign trained dentists was launched.

The process consists of three exams:

1. Assessment of fundamental knowledge written exam. An exam based on multiple choice question format.
2. Assessment of clinical skills exam: a practical exam on typodonts and manikins.
3. Assessment of clinical judgement written exam.

The alternative route of going through a qualifying program or advanced standing program still exists.[14] To gain a licence to practice dentistry in Canada: there is International Dentist Advanced Placement Program (IDAPP).Non-accredited programs Countries recognised by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) are: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, USA. If you qualified in a country not listed above, you will be considered non-accredited.[15]

When it first launched in 2011, only 44 candidates passed the equivalency process. In 2014 over 260 candidates passed and in 2017, that number rose to 307 candidates.[16][17][18] These numbers are expected to keep going up as the number of candidates challenging the exams has been rising steadily year after year. [18]