Foreign-trained dentist? Here’s your path to practicing in the USA or Canada

Guidance from a dentist who has completed the journey herself, from credential evaluation to licensure.

Licensure pathways for internationally trained dentists are less documented than those for physicians, so many dentists learn the process by trial and error. That costs time and money. We shorten the learning curve with guidance from someone who has done it.

Who This Is For?

This page is for internationally trained dentists who want to:

Practice dentistry in the USA, through advanced standing programs or state-specific pathways
Practice dentistry in Canada, through the NDEB equivalency process or degree completion programs
Work as a dental hygienist as an alternative or interim route using your dental background
Apply to dental schools and need help choosing programs and building a competitive application

How We Help Dentists

We help you understand how your dental degree and clinical training are evaluated in the USA or Canada, where the gaps are, and which pathway fits your background, budget, and timeline.

The path runs through national exams such as the INBDE in the USA or the NDEB assessments in Canada, plus clinical exams and requirements that vary by state or province. We build a sequence around where you want to practice.

Advanced standing and degree completion programs are competitive and expensive. We help you target programs that fit your profile and prepare an application, personal statement, and interview that stand out.

Clinical exposure strengthens your application and prepares you for practice. We help you find realistic ways to get it as a foreign-trained dentist.

For some dentists, hygiene or a related role is a practical way to earn and stay close to clinical work while pursuing licensure. We help you weigh the requirements and trade-offs.

Advice comes from someone who has completed the dental pathway, not guidance borrowed from the medical route.

Why is this beneficial for you?

Choose the right pathway the first time

Programs and exams cost years and significant money, so you’ll know which route fits before you commit.

Learn from someone who’s done it

Your mentor completed the same journey, from international training to a US dental degree.

A plan built around your target state or province

Requirements differ by location, and your plan reflects where you actually want to practice.

A realistic timeline

You’ll plan around an honest timeline, not a best-case estimate.

See your real pathway before you invest years in the wrong one

Book an appointment

People we have helped

35+
physicians placed in attending & fellowship roles
30+
Academic & Healthcare Institutions*
Multiple Countries
Across U.S., Canada & International Systems
15+
specialties
Multiple Pathways
Pathways — Attending · Fellowship

Meet your Dental Expert

Dr. Shikha Thapar, BDS, MDS, DDS

Dr. Thapar trained in dentistry internationally in India, then earned her DDS from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in New York and now practices in Philadelphia, USA. She guides foreign-trained dentists through the same path, drawing on firsthand experience with credential evaluation, board exams, advanced standing applications, and building a dental career in a new system.

Disclaimer

IMG Secrets is not affiliated with or endorsed by Columbia University, NY. Dental schools, testing agencies, and state or provincial boards make admission and licensure decisions, which are outside IMG Secrets’s control.

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