The 12 ADA-recognized dental specialties
The United States formally recognizes 12 dental specialties through the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards. Here is what each specialty covers, the training involved, and how state licensing rules govern specialty practice.
What is a recognized dental specialty?
Dental specialties are formally defined areas of practice recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards (NCRDSCB) — the body established by the American Dental Association to evaluate and officially recognize specialty disciplines in dentistry. Recognition requires that a specialty have an approved scope of practice, accredited postdoctoral training programs, and an established certifying board.
Twelve specialties are currently recognized. Recognition is a national designation — it applies across all states. How practitioners may advertise or announce specialty status, however, is regulated separately by each state dental board.
The NCRDSCB determines which specialties are recognized nationally. Each state dental board separately governs whether a dentist may advertise as a specialist and what credentials or permits are required to do so. Rules vary significantly by state.
The 12 recognized dental specialties
The following specialties are officially recognized in the United States. Three — Dental Anesthesiology, Oral Medicine, and Orofacial Pain — were added between 2019 and 2020, bringing the total from nine to twelve.
- Dental Anesthesiology — Focuses on the evaluation, diagnosis, and administration of local, moderate, deep, and general anesthesia for dental and oral surgical procedures. Dental anesthesiologists manage pain and anxiety — particularly for medically complex patients, pediatric patients, and those for whom standard treatment is not feasible without sedation. They practice in hospital operating rooms, ambulatory surgical centers, and dental offices.
- Dental Public Health — Concerned with preventing and controlling dental diseases at the community level through organized public health programs rather than individual patient care. Dental public health specialists work in government health agencies, academic institutions, and policy organizations, designing population-level strategies to reduce disease burden and improve access to oral health services.
- Endodontics — Focused on the dental pulp — the soft tissue inside teeth — and the tissues surrounding the roots. Endodontists diagnose and treat tooth pain originating from the pulp or root structures, perform root canal treatment and retreatment, manage traumatic dental injuries, and carry out periapical surgery when non-surgical treatment is insufficient. Most patients are referred when a tooth cannot be saved through routine care.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology — The specialty of identifying and managing diseases of the oral cavity, jaws, salivary glands, and adjacent structures through clinical examination and laboratory analysis — including the microscopic evaluation of tissue specimens (biopsies). Oral pathologists serve a critical diagnostic role: clinicians send tissue samples for their expert interpretation, making the specialty largely consultative rather than patient-facing.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology — Concerned with producing and interpreting diagnostic images of the oral and maxillofacial complex. Oral and maxillofacial radiologists interpret dental radiographs, cone beam CT (CBCT) scans, MRI studies, and other imaging to diagnose conditions affecting the teeth, jaws, temporomandibular joints, salivary glands, and surrounding structures. The specialty's importance has grown as 3D imaging has become standard in dental practice.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery — Encompasses surgery of the hard and soft tissues of the face, mouth, and jaws. Procedures include tooth extractions (including impacted wisdom teeth), dental implant placement, corrective jaw surgery (orthognathic surgery), facial trauma reconstruction, temporomandibular joint surgery, and management of oral cancer and jaw tumors. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons complete a four- to six-year hospital-based surgical residency and frequently hold an M.D. in addition to their dental degree.
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics — The oldest formally recognized dental specialty. Concerned with supervising, guiding, and correcting the development and alignment of the teeth, bite, and facial structures. Orthodontists use fixed appliances (braces), removable appliances, and clear aligners to correct malocclusion and align teeth. The dentofacial orthopedics component involves guiding facial bone growth in developing patients — addressing jaw size and position, not just tooth positions.
- Pediatric Dentistry — Provides comprehensive preventive and therapeutic oral healthcare to infants, children, and adolescents — including patients with special health care needs — through age 18. Pediatric dentists complete a two-year postdoctoral residency focused on child development, behavior management, early childhood caries, dental trauma, and the developmental conditions unique to younger patients. Many also treat adults with developmental disabilities.
- Periodontics — Focused on the supporting structures of the teeth — the gums, alveolar bone, and periodontal ligament — and the diseases and conditions that affect them. Periodontists diagnose and treat periodontal (gum) disease at all stages of severity, perform surgical interventions including bone grafts and soft-tissue procedures, place and maintain dental implants, and manage peri-implant complications.
- Prosthodontics — Focused on restoring and replacing missing or damaged teeth to recover proper form, function, and appearance. Prosthodontists design and fit crowns, bridges, dentures, partial dentures, and implant-supported prostheses. Complex restorative cases — full-mouth reconstructions, congenital dental defects, maxillofacial prosthetics for patients who have had cancer surgery or trauma — are among the most involved cases in this specialty.
- Oral Medicine — Focused on the oral healthcare of medically complex patients and the diagnosis and management of conditions affecting the oral and maxillofacial region that relate to or interact with systemic health. Oral medicine specialists evaluate chronic oral mucosal diseases (such as pemphigus vulgaris or oral lichen planus), oral manifestations of systemic conditions including autoimmune disorders and HIV, and complications of cancer treatment affecting the mouth.
- Orofacial Pain — Concerned with the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of chronic and acute pain involving the face, jaw, mouth, head, and neck. Orofacial pain specialists treat temporomandibular disorders (TMD), primary headache disorders, neuropathic and neurovascular facial pain, and sleep-disordered breathing. These cases often require coordination with neurology, pain medicine, and sleep medicine specialists.
Specialty training: what it involves
All dental specialists first earn a dental degree — either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) — and complete the licensing requirements for general dentistry before entering specialty training. Specialty training is postdoctoral education completed after the dental degree, within programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
The length of specialty residencies varies by discipline. Periodontics, endodontics, orthodontics, and pediatric dentistry programs typically run two to three years. Oral and maxillofacial surgery residencies are four to six years and are hospital-based surgical programs; many residents also complete a medical degree during training. Prosthodontics and oral and maxillofacial pathology programs are generally three years. Dental anesthesiology programs run two to three years in a hospital-based or dental school setting.
Completing an accredited specialty program is a prerequisite for applying for board certification through the relevant specialty certifying board — such as the American Board of Periodontology, the American Board of Orthodontics, or the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Board certification is voluntary and requires additional examinations and case presentations demonstrating advanced clinical competency beyond residency completion alone.
How state licensing applies to specialists
A dental specialist holds a general dental license issued by the state where they practice — the same foundational license as any other dentist. Specialty training and national certification do not automatically create a separate license type in most states. What varies is the right to announce specialty status: to advertise or hold oneself out publicly as a specialist in a recognized area.
Some states require a practitioner to meet specific criteria before advertising as a specialist — completion of an accredited postdoctoral program in that specialty, board certification, or a formal state specialty permit or registration. Other states allow specialty announcement based on completion of an accredited program alone. A dentist who practices in a recognized specialty without meeting the state's announcement requirements may not legally advertise that specialty status in that state, even if their training and credentials are substantive.
Because these rules differ significantly from state to state, any dentist with specialty training should verify the specific requirements of each state in which they practice or plan to practice.
For the rules governing specialty announcement and scope of practice in a specific state, each state page on this site covers general scope information and links to the state dental board. Consult the board directly for authoritative, current requirements.
Find specialty and scope-of-practice rules for your state
Select your state to reach that board's resources on scope of practice, specialty licensing, and announcement requirements.