Trends in dental specialty education and practice, 1990-99

Policy issues related to dental specialty education and practice have been the responsibility of the American Dental Association's Council on Dental Education and Licensure. In 2001, the council concluded a comprehensive study of the ADA-recognized dental specialties that included a review of specialty practice and the practice environment, membership in specialty organizations, requirements and trends in board certification, advances in research and technology related to each specialty, and trends in advanced specialty education. This paper provides an overview of the results of this study and the council's analysis of data and information provided by the dental specialty organizations and the ADA Survey Center with an emphasis on dental specialty education. The council concluded that none of the dental specialties should be considered for rerecognition, but identified concerns regarding the shortage of qualified faculty and educational program directors. As a result of the council's study, recommendations have been made to the dental specialty organizations and ADA-recognized dental specialty certifying boards that they continue to monitor the number of board-certified specialists and identify ways to increase the number of board-certified specialists.