Dentistry in the United States

[2] In order to be accepted to an American dental school, most candidates must possess at least a bachelor's degree, which requires the successful completion of all appropriate pre-requisite courses.

The cost of attending a dental school is high; most newly graduated dentists have borrowed US$200,000 or more in student loans and other debts to pay for their education.

The reciprocity agreement between CDAC (Canada) and Australia does not extend to the United States and its Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).

Currently, the American Dental Association formally recognizes 12[5] specialties: Until the late 20th century, most of dentistry was paid directly by patients.

The median annual earnings of salaried dentists in the United States was $136,960 in May 2006, indicating a high degree of scarcity for qualified personnel.

Since 1977, evidence has shown that seeing a dentist every six months, as is standard in the United States, is not associated with improved dental or oral health.