Periodontist Training and Credentials

In the United States, there are currently 52 institutions that offer advanced training programs in the dentistry specialization of periodontics. While these periodontal institutions vary in setting from university to military to hospital venue, they all generally endow periodontics students with three years worth of skill, knowledge and proficiency development for diagnosing and treating periodontal (gum) disease.

Clinical periodontal training includes advanced cases that make use of interdisciplinary clinician skills and problem patients that need proportional medical management. Periodontists in training are also expected to become versed in preventative strategies and treatment interventions, contraindications and procedural draw-backs.

Periodontal residents should become seasoned in advanced surgical techniques such as regenerative surgery, periodontal plastic surgery (reconstructive gum surgery) and dental implant implementation.

The clinical certificate in periodontics may be supplemented with masters or doctorate degree training at specialized institutions. Postdoctoral students are immersed in pertinent biomedical and population sciences such as oral microbiology, immunology, connective and mineralized tissue biology and epidemiology.