DDS vs. MA Credentials: What Dental Degrees Mean

DDS = Doctor of Dental Surgery. DMD = Doctor of Dental Medicine. Identical education, scope, licensure. Harvard uses DMD; most schools use DDS.

DDS/DMD Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (usually).
• 4-year dental school (CODA-accredited).
• NBDE Parts I & II (or INBDE) + state/regional clinical exam.
• Licensure in each practice state.

MA After DDS

MA = Master of Arts. A dentist with DDS, MA holds a master's degree in a non-dental field (e.g., Public Health, Education, Business, Bioethics, Gerontology). It is not a dental specialty credential.

Dental Specialty Credentials (Require 2–6 yr Residency + Board Cert)

• MS / MSD / MSc (Master of Science in Dentistry) — academic master's within specialty.
• Certificate (most common) — e.g., Orthodontics, Periodontics, OMFS, Pediatric, Endo, Perio, Prostho, Dental Public Health, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology.
• PhD — research doctorate.

Other Common Suffixes

• FAGD: Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry (500+ CE hrs, exam).
• MAGD: Master AGD (1100+ CE hrs).
• DABOI/ID: Diplomate, American Board of Oral Implantology.
• MPH, MBA, MHA, JD: Dual degrees — not dental specialty.

Verify specialty status via ADA or state board. "MA" alone does not indicate clinical specialization.