A proposal to revisit the current dental postgraduate training tracks in Saudi Arabia

Most dental students worldwide start thinking privately or openly with their academic mentors about their future professional plans. These may vary widely, from private practice to getting admission into structured programs for Board Certification, Fellowship Diplomas, Clinical Higher Certification, Master’s or Doctorate Degrees, or equivalents. These various tracks take variable periods to accomplish. This editorial opinion strongly proposes that the concerned regulatory agency/agencies in Saudi Arabia consider revisiting the various current postgraduate (PG) training tracks for dentistry available to undergraduate senior dental students (and allied students) who may benefit from such revisiting, which includes better clarifications. With the high number of dental schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which currently stands at 25 (Public and Private), turning out an ever-increasing number of graduands, it will be beneficial when these graduates plan their future careers. According to the latest (2025) information on the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS) website, there are 3 categories of recognized PG training tracks, one of which is clear and unambiguous. The other two appear as rather strange categorizations. It seems evident that those graduates who knowingly or unknowingly choose options in these two “strange” categories may face job dissatisfaction or unstructured promotion possibilities in the future. The three SCHS categories are as follows: Category 1: Recognized Board Residencies (9) – Endodontics, Family Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Oral Medicine/Oral Pathology, Periodontics, Prosthodontics, and Restorative Dentistry. This classification is unambiguous for those dentists who may choose from this list. Category 2: Master’s Programs (6) – Endodontics, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Prosthodontics, and Restorative Dentistry. What is unclear about this Category is the noninclusion of “+Certificate of Clinical Proficiency,” which usually goes with a Dental Master’s Degree program in most Universities. It is probably implied but indeed NOT stated in this Category 2. Dental Master’s Degree Programs + Certificate of Clinical Proficiency are usually managed by Universities, not by a regulatory body like SCHS. However, the limitations in the entry appointment, promotion possibilities, and upward mobility may be prescribed by a body like SCHS. It will be helpful for a young dentist to be clear in his/her choice that a Master’s degree and Certificate holder, subject to other administrative conditions or requirements, can attain the highest position in his/her place of employment. Subject to being corrected, holders of any qualifications in Categories 1 and 2 generally do not have difficulty in employment when sponsored ab initio by Saudi Universities, the Armed Forces, and the Ministry of Health. However, those privately funded for PG qualification in Oral Medicine, Oral Radiology, Oral Pathology, Dental Public Health, Forensic Dentistry (Category 3), and (Dental Anesthesiology) when added in the future may face some difficulties in getting employed. Category 3: Other Specializations categorized by SCHS (8) – Orofacial Pain, Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, Forensic Dentistry, Geriatric Dentistry, Dental Public Health, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology. This is a bizarre categorization and mix-up of cognate but different dental specialties. It should be suspected that this is an unintended categorization, as presented. The specialties that may be correctly listed in this category are Dental Technology, Dental Hygiene, Dental Nursing, and School Dental Therapists. The repeated dental specialties in this category are already or should be in either category 1 or 2 above. This Editorial humbly suggests that a high-powered Committee of competent, experienced, and unbiased dentists selected or nominated from the Universities, Armed Forces, Ministry of Health, functioning Saudi Dental Societies, SCHS, and Private Practitioners as a matter of urgency should expertly guide the SCHS to constitute new and improved PG Dental Training Tracks’ Categorizations that facilitate employability and upward mobility for ALL graduates of Saudi and approved non-Saudi dental schools with fairness and unintended discrimination. For historical relevance, it should be pointed out that it took the United Kingdom from 1947 to 2024 to plan for and recognize 13 dental specialties, and the United States from 1935 (or thereabout) until 2018 to plan and recognize 9 specialties. It took many decades for Canada to plan and agree on 10 specialties, Australia 13 specialties, West Africa about 30 years to decide on 9 specialties, and Japan 5 specialties, and others still ill-defined. There is confusion about dental specialties categorized in many European countries despite the presence of old and reputable dental institutions. The SCHS should be highly commended for seriously categorizing PG dental categories in the last 20 to 25 years. However, the efforts should be revisited as the number of dental graduates continues to increase at a high rate, and many of them will choose to have PG qualifications. Unless one lives behind some rocks somewhere, the felt effects of new technologies such as big data, LLM, AI, teledentistry, and personalized dental care have already “invaded” healthcare management. Our plans must be ready to creatively accommodate these “tsunami-like” changes in health care, including health specialties’ categorizations. When a paradigm shift is necessary in any human endeavor, critical thinkers should not be afraid to make it.

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