General Certification and Licensure

Dentists must be licensed to practice dentistry in Canada. Dental licensure is a provincial responsibility. Each province/territory has a dental regulatory authority/licensing body that establishes regulations and requirements for the licensure of general practitioners within their jurisdiction. There are fees for licensure and certification in each province that may change annually.

Canadian and U.S. General Practitioner

To practise as a general dental practitioner in Canada, certification by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) is mandatory, except in Quebec.

In most provinces, certification is also a mandatory component of licensure for out-of-province graduates, subject to provincial regulations. Contact the regulatory authority in your jurisdiction to obtain detailed information about licensure, registration, and fees.

The National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) allows graduates of accredited undergraduate dental education programs to take the certification examination. Only programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation are considered accredited.

If the program from which you graduated is not accredited, please refer to the section "Non-Canadian and Non-US General Practitioner" below.

To find out more about the certification exam administered by the NDEB of Canada, contact the NDEB directly.

Non-Canadian and Non-U.S. General Practitioner

Regardless of education, licensure/registration or experience, non-Canadian and non-U.S. general practitioners must obtain a Canadian license/registration to practice dentistry in Canada. To obtain this license/registration, you will need to complete an accredited dental program, as a regular or degree completion student, or complete an accredited qualifying program. Only programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation are recognized as accredited.

To enter a qualifying program, you are required to complete the Eligibility Examination (EE) administered by the Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry (ACFD). To obtain further information about the EE, contact the ACFD directly.

The following Qualifying Programs are accredited:

Dalhousie University
Faculty of Dentistry
5981 University Ave.
Halifax, NS B3H 3J5
Website: www.dentistry.dal.ca

University of Western Ontario
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
School of Dentistry
1151 Richmond Street
London, ON N6A 5C1
Website: www.med.uwo.ca

Once you have graduated from an accredited qualifying program, the dental regulatory authority in your jurisdiction may require you to complete the certification exam administered the National Dental Examining Board (NDEB) of Canada. The NDEB administers this exam to ensure graduates are clinically competent in the field of general dentistry.

To find out more about the certification exam administered by the NDEB of Canada, contact the NDEB directly.

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