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Dental Specialists
Register of Dental Specialists
The Register of Dental Specialists was established under the provisions of Section 29 of the Dentists Act 1985.
Under the provisions of section 37 (1) of the Act the Council has determined, with the consent of the Minister, that it shall recognise the following specialties for the purpose of specialist registration under the Act:
A. Oral Surgery
B. Orthodontics
Recognition of training in Ireland
ICSTD
The Irish Committee for Specialist Training Dentistry (ICSTD) is the body recognised by the Dental Council, under Section 37(3) of the Dentists Act 1985, as ‘the body…which the Council shall recognise in the State for the purpose of granting evidence of satisfactory completion of specialist training’.
The role of the ICSTD, and a full description of each element of the ICSTD’s remit, is contained in the ICSTD manual which was last updated in 2018. The manual confirms the operation of specialist dental training in Ireland, including entry requirements, specialty descriptions and competencies, programme requirements, trainee assessments and the programme inspection process. The manual will be updated as and when necessary to reflect any substantive changes.
The ICSTD has no role in the assessment of applications to the Register of Dental Specialists. For applicants seeking to register as dental specialists in Ireland but who do not benefit from the automatic recognition of their qualifications, their applications are assessed by the Dental Council’s Specialist Training and Registration (STAR) Committee. Applicants falling into this category may wish to refer to the ICSTD manual as an initial means to consider whether their specialist training could be considered equivalent to the standards of specialist training in Ireland.
Application Details for Registration in the Register of Dental Specialists:
Important information for applicants;
To be eligible for registration in the Register of Dental Specialists a dentist must be fully registered in the Register of Dentists.
The Dental Council recommends that you allow for the registration process to take three months. We aim to finalise applications as quickly as possible, but delays can occur due to incomplete applications or if additional information is required. The Dental Council would advise that you do not hold yourself out as a Specialist until you are fully registered in the Register of Dental Specialists.
We will only deal with the applicant regarding applications for registration.
You must refer to the relevant checklist when compiling your application.
- Specialist qualifications obtained in Ireland or the UK
To apply please submit by post to the address above;
- Complete application form
- Photocopy of your passport
- Registration fee
- Photocopy of Specialist Qualification
- Certificate of completion of Specialist Training
Please read the checklist below when compiling your application
2. Specialist qualifications obtained in an EU Member State
To apply please submit by post to the address above;
- Complete application form
- Photocopy of your passport
- Registration fee
- Photocopy of Specialist Qualification
- Letter of conformity, outlining your compliance with qualifications directive 2005/36/EC
Please read the checklist below when compiling your application
Dentists – Checklist for Specialist Registration [pdf]
Register of Dental Specialists Application Form [pdf]
3. Assessment – Specialist Qualifications that do not fall into the above categories
If you have obtained a qualification in Oral Surgery or Orthodontics, that is at least 3 years in duration, and you do not meet the criteria in points 1 or 2 above you may be entitled to apply for the assessment of your qualification by the Specialist Training and Registration (STAR) Committee.
Applications for assessment go through a two-step review procedure. When your application is received it will be reviewed by the registration department to check if all the required information has been submitted. After this initial review, the registration department will be in contact with you if they require the re-submission of documents or if you have forgotten to submit required information.
Once the registration department are happy that your application is complete, your application will then go forward to the second review stage, which is the assessment of your complete application by the STAR Committee.
Please see the check list below for full details on the information that must be submitted. It is important that you read the checklist in its entirety.
Dentists – Checklist for Dental Specialist Assessment [pdf]
Register of Dental Specialists Application Form [pdf]
Logbook Summary Page – Orthodontics [pdf]
Logbook Summary Page – Oral Surgery [pdf]