How to Become a Dentist in Canada
Want to become a dentist in Canada? In this article, we will review how to become a dentist in Canada.
Regardless of where you are in your journey to becoming a dentist in Canada, DATCrusher can help you navigate the initial process and the steps you'll need to take to enter dental school, obtain the skills that dentists possess, and help people with their oral health!
Depending on where you have studied, the process may look a little different, so take a look at which category you may fit into:
- Undergraduate Degree
- Dental Degree from Canada/an accredited program
- Dental degree outside of Canada
I. Undergraduate Degree
While some countries offer direct entry into a dental program upon the completion of high school, Canadian dental schools, and many of the accredited schools you will potentially apply to, will require at least some undergraduate education. The great thing is that if your end goal is dentistry, you have a lot of freedom in picking the program that most interests you!
However, keep in mind that all 10 dental schools in Canada have various prerequisites, and while you are welcome to pick your program, ensure you are allowing space in your schedule to incorporate the courses required by the schools you would like to later apply to. They may be highly useful in helping you obtain a foundation for science concepts going into the Canadian DAT!
For more information on each dental school in Canada and their requirements (both academic and non-academic), check out our informative article here! Check early into your program and keep updated with changing requirements so you can plan your degree efficiently.
Once you're all set with the criteria your preferred schools require, the last step here is to apply to dental school.
II. Dental Degree from Canada or an Accredited Dental Program
Once you have completed dental school in Canada, where all 10 schools offer programs accredited by The Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC), you will need to take the required National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) examination. This ensures a national standard for all dental professionals wishing to practice here.
Along with the 10 schools in Canada, general dentistry programs accredited by the countries' respective commissions/councils in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, are also accredited by the CDAC. Therefore, if you completed an accredited dental degree program outside of Canada but in one of those four countries, you can follow the same certification process outlined below.
As of 2025, the NDEB exam is an assessment of your competencies as a dentist in the domains of assessment and diagnosis, treatment planning, clinical decision making, and professionalism where a minimum test equated and re-scaled score of 75 is required to pass. The NDEB can be taken up to a maximum of 3 times:
- NDEB (vOSCE)
- Single-answer multiple choice questions
- Assesses your basic and clinical science knowledge + judgment
- Single-answer and multi-answer multiple choice questions + constructed response questions
- Puts your clinical judgment to the test – diagnosis, treatment planning, prognosis, treatment methods, and clinical decision making
Upon NDEB certification, you must be licensed with the Dental Regulatory Authority (DRA) of the province in which you wish to practice. Check out NDEB's list here to be redirected to your provincial licensing body's website where you can see which requirements must be met in order to achieve licensure.
III. Dental Degree from an Unaccredited Program
If you did not graduate from a dental school in Canada or one of the four countries mentioned above, you will need to take a few additional steps to obtain your dental accreditation before you are able to practice here as a dentist. There are 2 options you have, so take some time to think about what works for you! As a first step, however, to determine your eligibility, click here to learn how to apply with NDEB.
Option 1: Apply for and successfully complete a Qualifying or Degree Completion Program at one of the 8 out of 10 Canadian dental schools offering this option
- Click here to see which schools offer these 2- or 3-year programs before consulting their websites for individual admission requirements
- As a common admission requirement for all programs, however, you must complete NDEB's Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge (AFK) single-answer multiple choice examination to test your biomedical science and applied clinical science knowledge
- Requires a test equated and rescaled score of 75 to pass
- Can be taken up to a maximum of 3 times
- Upon completion of this program, you will be eligible to take the NDEB exams and go through the certification process as outlined above for accredited programs. You may then obtain licensure in your province of residence.
Option 2: Complete the NDEB Equivalency Process
- 4.Successfully complete NDEB's Assessment of Fundamental Knowledge (AFK) examination
- See above for details
- Successfully complete NDEB's Assessment of Clinical Judgement (ACJ) single-answer and multi-answer multiple choice examination, which will assess your ability to present a diagnosis, make clinical judgments, and test your knowledge of oral radiology
- Requires a test equated and rescaled score of 75 to pass
- Can be taken up to a maximum of 3 times
- Successfully complete NDEB's Non-accredited Dentist Clinical Competence Assessment (NDECC) held over two days to examine your clinical skills and situational judgement competence
- The Clinical Skills component is a full day. You will perform 7 clinical requirements, plus infection control and safety on simulated patients (manikins) in a clinical setting.
- The Situational Judgement component is half a day with 10 Situational Judgement stations.
- You must plan to be at the Test Centre for the full two days, since the above components may run on either day one or day two.
- You will now be eligible to take the NDEB exams and go through the certification process as outlined above for accredited programs. You may also then obtain licensure in your province of residence. After completion of the accredited programs, you will receive your dental accreditation.
IV. How Many Years Does It Take to Become a Dentist in Canada
The average duration taken to become a dentist depends on which of the various diverse pathways one takes in pursuing a dental education. Generally, after you finish high school, you would begin your undergraduate degree. The amount of time required in an undergraduate degree, prerequisite courses, as well as other Canadian Dental Schools Requirements impact this timeline. On average 2-3 years of undergraduate studies in Canada are required before beginning the application process to a dental school. At this point, you are required to write the cDAT and apply. After which you would complete dental school in 4 years and take the NDEB, which is the Canadian licensing exam required for practicing dentistry. After this, you have obtained your dental license, you can practice dentistry. All said and done, the pathway to becoming a dentist in Canada takes approximately 6-8 years after finishing high school. However, this is only the time required to become a basic dentist and does not take into account the time required for continuing dental education. If one wants to obtain a Doctor of Dental Surgery and specialize in pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics, and various other specialties, completion of more schooling will be required. Generally speaking, these additional programs can range from 6-8 years.
If one is an international student or an internationally trained dentist, admission into a dental school will be far more competitive and will require residency in Canada first. On top of this, many dental schools want to see residency in a specific province, which can further complicate the application process and add the amount of time required to obtain admission. Further guidelines can be found on the Canadian Dental Association website.
V. How Hard Is It to Become a Dentist in Canada
What to Know Before Becoming a Dentist? Admission into dental school in Canada is incredibly competitive. Applicants generally are required to have very high grades, good extracurriculars, as well as good interview skills. On top of this, the amount of seats for dental students is limited in Canada as not all universities in Canada are "dentistry universities" and some do not have a dental school. The cost for applying to dental school is quite high as well. One has to complete a full or partial undergraduate degree, which includes tuition fees. The cDAT costs $540 to take and is a difficult exam, which opens up the possibility of many students having to retake it. Applications to dental schools can be quite pricey, and some dental schools require the CASPER personality assessment examination, which also costs money. Lastly, because there are such a limited amount of seats, the tuition fees can be very high as well in comparison to medical school or veterinary school. As such it is important to understand the financial risks as well as academic difficulties if you are interested in pursuing dental education and subsequently dentistry as a profession.
VI. Step-by-Step Process to Becoming a Dentist in Canada
In order to practice dentistry, one starts with a bachelor's degree at a Canadian university. After one has obtained the required prerequisite courses as well as the necessary amount of credit units in an undergraduate degree to apply to dental school, the cDAT exam must be written. Preparation for this exam can be done through the use of Booster Prep. Resources and more information on how to register can be found here: How to Register for the Canadian DAT. It is worth noting that the cDAT exam is a difficult exam and that 2-3 months should be set aside to prepare. At this point, the application process to dental schools begins and you would apply to the Dental Schools you are interested in. After completing the dental school admission process and subsequently dental school, one would have to take the NDEB and apply for dental licensure in the province of one's choosing. Completion of all these steps would allow you to open a dental practice in Canada
VII. How to Become a Dentist in Canada from High School
It is generally recommended to take high school biology, chemistry, and physics courses in preparation for further university courses that are required for dentistry. In addition to this, it is a good idea to start dental shadowing and volunteer experience early to add to your personal statement, which is a vital component of a dentistry application. Performing some research into the cDAT as well as the various dental schools you are interested in is also important. For more information on the cDAT and how to begin planning for it, see: When to Start Studying for the Canadian DAT?
VIII. Costs and Financial Planning for Dental School in Canada
Financial expenses for Dental school include tuition for courses during the undergraduate degree, money required to obtain preparation material for the cDAT as well as application fees for Dental Schools. Lastly and most importantly, Dental School in Canada is very expensive and might require students to take out a loan. For this reason, it might be a good idea to seek possible scholarship opportunities.
IX. Preparing for the Canadian DAT
The Canadian Dental Aptitude Test or cDAT, is an important exam for all students hoping to obtain admission to dentistry. The cDAT consists of four main sections: Biology, General Chemistry, Perceptual Ability, and Reading Comprehension. There is also an academic average section, which is the average score obtained in Biology, General Chemistry, and Reading Comprehension. The different sections of this exam can be weighted differently by dental schools. This exam assesses important biomedical knowledge as well as your abilities in three-dimensional visual perception, something that is vitally important in dentistry and dental surgery. It is important to set aside 2-3 months to prepare for this exam. Briefly explain the importance of the exam, its format, resources for preparation, and effective strategies.
X. FAQ
Q: What undergraduate degree do I need to apply to dental school in Canada?
A: Dental schools in Canada are more concerned about certain prerequisite courses you have taken. However, it may be worth taking courses that would best help you prepare for the cDAT as well as courses that you feel are suitable as a base foundation of knowledge for admission to dental school.
Q: Is the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) mandatory for dental schools in Canada?
A: Yes, the Canadian Dental Aptitude Test or cDAT is a requirement for application to dental schools in Canada, however the degree of weighting of the exam can vary from school to school. Some schools can also weight certain sections of the cDAT exam more heavily than others.
Q: Can I apply to dental school directly after high school in Canada?
A: Unfortunately, Canadian dental schools do not allow for direct entry from high school. Some degree of completion of an undergraduate degree is required.
What to Know Before Becoming a Dentist