Specialist lists

Specialist lists are designed to:

protect the public against unwarranted claims of specialist skills and experience
help the public, employers and others identify dentists with recognised specialist skills and experience in a distinct branch of dentistry and to support appropriate patient referral
support development of scientific knowledge and education.

Specialist lists are made up of registered dentists who meet certain conditions and so are entitled to use a specialist title. Dentists do not have to join a specialist list to practise any particular specialty but they can only use the title 'specialist' if they are on that list.

You can find a specialist by searching the GDC register.

What fields can dentists specialise in?

Please visit our education pages for the full list of specialist titles. Dentists on these lists have met minimum standards of training, as determined by European and GDC regulations.

Entry on to the lists

If you wish to apply to join one or more of the specialist lists, please download the relevant application form. To be listed you must be eligible under one of the agreed entry criteria.

Certificate of completion of specialist training (CCST) in the UK

If you are registered with the GDC and have completed an approved specialist training programme, you may apply for the award of a CCST and entry onto the relevant specialist list.

Applications for approved training programmes must be submitted to your regional postgraduate dental dean who will monitor you throughout your period of training. At the end of your training you must hold the agreed qualification awarded by one of the three Royal Surgical Colleges: the Royal College of Surgeons England, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. You must fulfil all entry, training and assessment criteria to be eligible for the award of a CCST.

For information about the availability of training programmes in your area and information on how to apply, contact your regional postgraduate dental office.

Non-CCST routes to specialist listing

For UK and overseas qualified dentists without a CCST, alternative evidence can be considered for entry onto a specialist list. Please refer to the relevant application form and corresponding guidance notes detailing alternative criteria for entry onto a specialist list.

Restorative dentistry, endodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics

If you have completed a GDC-recognised specialist training programme and been awarded a CCST in restorative dentistry under the pre-2009 curriculum, you may also apply for a CCST and entry to the specialist lists in one or more of the former mono-specialties – endodontics, periodontics and prosthodontics - provided you submit a separate application for each.

For further information, please refer to our policy statement on restorative dentistry.

In February 2022, the Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors (COPDEND) issued a statement on Joint Restorative Dentistry and Monospecialty CCST, which is supported by the GDC.