Following the granting of recognition to a specialty sponsoring organization by the National Commission, a national board for certifying diplomats in the specialty must be established and become recognized by the National Commission in accordance with the Requirements for Recognition of National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists. No more than one certifying board will be recognized for the certification of diplomats for each specialty. The role of the recognized certifying board is to only certify dentists as diplomats in the specialty area of practice recognized by the National Commission. The National Commission will not recognize any certifying board without the prior recognition of a dental specialty sponsoring organization.
Currently, there are 12 national certifying boards recognized by the National Commission. Board-certified specialists have made significant achievements beyond the mandatory educational requirements of the specialty and have made a professional commitment to lifelong learning and continuing process improvement. The board-certification process is a thorough and structured process that requires diplomates to continually update their knowledge and skills by meeting the continuing education and periodic testing requirements set forth by the respective specialty certifying board.
For further information related to the board-certification process and requirements established by the specialty certifying boards, please visit the website of the respective specialty certifying board.
Recognized certifying boards
Recognized dental specialty certifying boards
Guidance and Criteria
American Board of Dental Public Health
136 Everett Road
Albany, NY 12205
518-694-5525 | executive.director@abdph.org
Executive Director: Ms. Kelly Braun
Recognition Status: Recognition, with reporting requirements
American Board of Endodontics
750 W. Lake Cook Road, Suite 137
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
847-947-8501 | ivana@amboardendo.org | aae.org
Executive Director: Ms. Ivana Bevacqua
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
One Urban Center, Suite 690
4830 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33609
813-286-2444 | clarita@abomp.org | abomp.org
Executive Director: Ms. Clarita Scioscia
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
15340 Larsen Street
Overland Park, KS 66221
215-573-7115 | admin@abomr.org | abomr.org
Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Vandana Kumar
Recognition Status: Recognition, with reporting requirements, intent to withdraw with a mandatory period of non-testing
American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
8770 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Suite 1370
Chicago, IL 60631
312-642-0070 | EEKilleen@aboms.org | aboms.org
Executive Vice President: Ms. Erin E. Killeen
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Oral Medicine
1 Glenlake Parkway
Suite 1200
Atlanta, GA 30328
404.760.4253 | bchitnis@etherio.com | abomed.org
Account Executive: Ms. Beth Chitnis
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Orofacial Pain
1258 Berans Road
Owings Mills, MD 21117
410-560-3620 | info@abop.net | abop.net
Executive Director: Ms. Eva Schwartz
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Orthodontics
401 N. Lindbergh Blvd., Suite 308
St. Louis, MO 63141-7839
314-432-6130 | info@americanboardortho.com | americanboardortho.com
Chief Executive Officer: Ms. Carole Newport
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
5034 Thoroughbred Lane, Suite A
Brentwood, TN 37027
615-432-0082 | lyounger@abpd.org | abpd.org
Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Leila Younger
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Periodontology
737 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60611
312-682-0919 | eileen.loranger@abperio.org | abperio.org
Executive Director: Ms. Eileen Loranger
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Board of Prosthodontics
1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252
St. Paul, MN 55114
651-366-6099 | dcagna@uthsc.edu | abpros.org/abp/
Board Administrator: Dr. David Cagna
Recognition Status: Recognized
American Dental Board of Anesthesiology
4411 Bee Ridge Road #172
Sarasota, FL 34233
312-624-9591 | amysarno@adba.org | adba.org
Executive Director: Ms. Amy Sarno
Recognition Status: Recognized
The application for recognition of a dental specialty and/or dental specialty certifying board is based on compliance with the ADA Requirements for Recognition of Dental Specialties and National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists. Recognition by the National Commission is a voluntary process. A sponsoring organization and/or certifying board that is applying for recognition may withdraw its Application for Recognition at any time prior to the National Commission taking action to either grant or deny recognition. A specialty sponsoring organization must be recognized by the National Commission before a certifying board that has a close working relationship with the sponsoring organization can apply for recognition.
Requirements for certifying boards (PDF)
Overview of the application process (PDF)
email nationalcommission@ada.org to request an application and fee schedule.
The National Commission expects that all organizations and individuals bringing business in front of the National Commission will act with integrity and decorum and demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times.
During the public comment period of the recognition process, interested parties:
- Must provide factual comments based on compliance with the Requirements for Recognition
- Must refrain from making disparaging and/or unprofessional comments about other organizations and/or individuals
- Must refrain from making comments that are false, unprofessional/disparaging about the National Commission, the American Dental Association, any of the recognized dental specialty sponsoring organizations/certifying boards and the applicant organization
If the National Commission believes that an individual and/or organization has submitted false, unprofessional and/or disparaging comments, the National Commission will consider the submission a violation of its Policy on Integrity and may disregard the entire submission. The National Commission also reserves the right to report egregious violations of the ADA’s Professional Conduct Policy to the ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws and Judicial Affairs if the individual is an ADA member in good standing.
Guidelines for submitting public comments
After the respective Review Committee has made the determination that an application contains all of the required documentation, the National Commission will invite public comment on the applicant’s compliance with the Requirements for Recognition of Dental Specialties and National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists for a 60-day period.
All comments must be objective and pertain only to the applicant’s compliance to the Requirements for Recognition. The National Commission will disregard comments that are not related to the Requirements for Recognition. Comments that are not objective and/or include Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII), violate the American Dental Association’s Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct or contain unprofessional remarks will be disregarded. If the National Commission receives form letters with duplicate content signed by different individuals, the letters will be counted as one letter signed by multiple submitters. Please see National Commission Policy on Third Party Comments.
To better assist the communities of interest with interpreting the Requirements for Recognition and providing comments on applications for recognition, the National Commission has developed the following guidelines to assist individuals and/or organizations with public comments.
Guidelines for submitting comments on applications for specialty certifying board recognition (PDF)
Adverse actions, or those that may be appealed, are defined as actions related to denial or withdrawal of recognition. Such decisions become final 14 days after the date on the notification letter or when any appeal has been resolved. The National Commission has procedures in place to provide notice of the reasons for taking an adverse recognition action.
The Appeal Board is an autonomous body, separate from the National Commission Board of Commissioners. The primary function of the Appeal Board is to determine whether the National Commission Board of Commissioners arrived at a decision regarding the denial or revocation of specialty recognition by properly applying the National Commission’s published policies and procedures and criteria to the facts presented to the Board of Commissioners .
The Appeal Board is limited in its inquiry to review substantive procedural due process issues raised by the appellants and factual determinations up to the time of the Board of Commissioners decision regarding an application for recognition and/or the withdrawal of recognition of an organization recognized by the National Commission.
It is not proper for the Appeal Board to either receive or consider facts not previously presented to the Board of Commissioners since it does not sit as the initial reviewing body. Similarly, it is not the function of the Appeal Board to determine whether the facts, singularly or cumulatively, justify the decision of the Board of Commissioners , unless it can be shown that the Board of Commissioners decision was clearly against the weight of the evidence. Further, the Appeal Board will not hear testimony relative to the reasonableness of previously determined Requirements for Recognition since this is clearly outside the scope of authority of this reviewing body.
The Appeal Board may make one of the following decisions: to affirm or remand the action of the Board of Commissioners. The decision rendered by the Appeal Board shall be final and binding.
On an annual basis, the recognized certifying boards are required to complete and submit to the National Commission an annual survey. The purpose of the annual survey is to collect current information on the governance and operations of each recognized certifying board and to ensure adherence to the Requirements for Recognition of National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists. Data collected via the survey is compiled and published in the National Commission’s Annual Report of the Recognized Dental Specialty Certifying Boards.
The contents of the full Annual Report of the Recognized Dental Specialty Certifying Boards includes:
- Certification and examination data
- Board executive directors and secretaries
- Current certifying board presidents
- Certification pathways and applications
- Eligibility requirements
- Financial operations
- Examination procedures
- Examination type and number of candidates
- Validity and reliability provided by a psychometrician or statistician
- Test construction and evaluation
- Certification and recertification examination content
- Reexamination policies
- Recertification and certification maintenance policies
In the intervening years, those certifying boards that are in good standing with the status of “Recognition” will be required to complete a modified version of the Annual Survey. The contents of the modified Annual Survey include:
- Board executive directors and secretaries
- Current certifying board presidents
- Validity and reliability evidence, including letter or examination technical report
- Financial operations
- Examination statistical data
- Certification and examination summary and historical data
- Certification pathways and applications
- Certifying boards that do not have the status of “Recognition” will be required to complete the full annual survey until they achieve compliance with the Requirements for Recognition. Newly recognized certifying boards must show continued compliance on the full survey for a period of three years before being allowed to complete the modified survey.
View the National Commission’s Annual Reports below.
2023 Report (PDF)
2022 Report (PDF)
2021 Report (PDF)
2020 Report (PDF)