Implant dentistry: Does It Merit Specialty Status? / Implants

A global perspective on implant education: Cluster analysis of the “first dental implant experience” of dentists from 84 nationalities

“…Typically, stakeholders such as professional associations and regulatory authorities drive the growth, formal curricular development and accreditation of any emergent healthcare discipline . Whether implant dentistry merits a separate specialty or subspecialty has been a subject of considerable debate . Traditionally, medical and even dental specialities have been based upon different clinical or anatomical domains, and subspecialities emerge either as a result of biomedical advancements within an existing speciality or as a recognition of a societal group with unique demands .…”

Implant dentistry in postgraduate university education. Present conditions, potential, limitations and future trends

“…Since the 1980s, many authors from different parts of the world have initiated calls for the recognition of ‘oral implantology’ as a new dental specialty . The debate appears much more relevant today, as implant dentistry has expanded to the extent that the term ‘oral implantologist’ has been introduced and is used by some individuals, associations or journals as referring to a de facto dental specialist.…”

“…As long ago as 1984, the American College of Oral Implantology submitted an application for specialty recognition to the ADA, followed by a similar one by the American Academy of implant dentistry . The ADA rejected several repeated applications , and the specialty status remains largely inconclusive as of today. The ADA has set six clear criteria that must be fulfilled for a discipline to be recognised as a dental specialty .…”

“…The ADA rejected several repeated applications , and the specialty status remains largely inconclusive as of today. The ADA has set six clear criteria that must be fulfilled for a discipline to be recognised as a dental specialty . According to these, a candidate discipline for specialty recognition must be: Represented by an organisation whose membership is reflective of the special area of practice and recognised by the profession at large for its contribution to the art and science of the discipline. A distinct and well‐defined field that requires unique knowledge and skills beyond those commonly possessed by general dental practitioners. The scope of the discipline must not be coincident with or readily subsumed within the scope of other recognised specialties. Substantial public need and demand for services, which cannot be adequately met by general practitioners or specialists in other areas must be documented. The discipline must incorporate some aspects of clinical practice. Adequate formal advance education programmes must exist to provide the special knowledge and skills. …”

“…A concern has been often expressed by clinicians that introduction of an ‘implantologist’ would automatically imply that this person is better qualified than other practitioners to do implants . Advocates of implant dentistry as a specialty, however, claim that the introduction of specialty recognition in implant dentistry will not aim to replace the established specialties, nor to prevent general practitioners from placing and restoring implants .…”