Dental Education and Licensure - Most American dental schools require a bachelor's degree and prerequisite courses. - Dental school consists of didactic education, simulation courses, and direct patient care. - Students must pass the National Board Dental Examination during dental school. - Graduating from an accredited dental program is the first step to practice dentistry in the US. - Regional board exams are required by most states for licensure. - Some states allow completion of a General Practice Residency or Advanced Education in General Dentistry instead of a regional board exam.

Accredited Programs - Graduating from an accredited dental degree program in the US and Canada is necessary for practicing dentistry in the US. - Australian dental school graduates cannot be licensed in the US due to the lack of reciprocity agreement. - CODA has policies for accrediting international predoctoral education programs.

Regional Boards - Regional board exams are required by most states for licensure. - Regional boards test clinical skills of dental students through written and clinical components. - Some of the regional boards include NERB, WREB, CRDTS, and SRTA. - Some states allow completion of a General Practice Residency (GPR) or Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) instead of a regional board exam.

Funding for Dentistry - Funding for dentistry includes self-payment, private insurance, employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid, and SCHIP.

Criticisms - Evidence shows that seeing a dentist every six months may not improve dental or oral health. - Some large dentistry companies in the US have faced class-action lawsuits for fraudulent practices.