Qualifications of a pediatric dentist.

In 1947, Pediatric Dentistry was formally recognized as a specialty in dentistry. There are currently over 7000 members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Despite this large number, many people are unaware of the role they serve as health care providers [1]. The purpose of this article is to give a clearer understanding of the educational process of becoming a Pediatric Dentist, the scope of services that they are capable of providing and their role as primary care providers [2]. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry defines Pediatric Dentistry as “an age-defined specialty that provides primary and comprehensive preventative and therapeutic oral health care for infants and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs” [3]. There are currently sixty-five postgraduate pediatric dental residency programs throughout the United States and Puerto Rico [4]. These residency programs may be hospital based where the majority of the clinical training is within a hospital setting or University or “School” based and as the name implies, the clinical training resides in the dental school setting. All residency training programs are a minimum of 24 months in duration and are held accountable to educational standards through the American Dental Associations Council on Dental Accreditation. In order to qualify to receive advanced specialty training education in pediatric dentistry, the student must have graduated from a dental school in the US or Canada that has been accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. A graduate from a