Dental Career Advice
The diagram below shows dental career paths from University onwards, with the corresponding College membership and examinations.
After graduation you will be considering whether to pursue a career in general practice or as a specialist. Either route will require training before you would be fully qualified to practice independently. The College runs examinations for both dental practitioners and for specialty trainees and whichever route you choose, you should consider sitting the Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) Examination.
The MFDS is an internationally recognised qualification which demonstrates completion of foundation/basic postgraduate training. For more information visit the Dental Examinations Section of the website.
For those considering training in a dental specialty, there are 13 specialties to choose from. Below is a list of the recognised dental specialities:
- Endodontics
- Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology
- Dental Public Health
- Paediatric Dentistry
- Periodontics
- Prosthodontics
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
- Oral Medicine
- Oral Microbiology
- Oral Surgery
- Orthodontics
- Restorative Dentistry
- Special Care Dentistry
