Debates over what constitutes a dental specialty continue to play out in the states, with several measures emerging in 2026. Kentucky enacted a comprehensive dental bill (HB 776) that, among other provisions, codifies the specialties recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards (NCRDSCB) as the only dental specialties recognized by the state.
In Ohio, the State Dental Board had been examining who qualifies for “dental specialty status” for several years. After taking stakeholder testimony last year and pausing discussions until specialist seats were filled, the Board recently announced a new approach. While the Ohio Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (OSOMS), the Ohio Dental Association and AAOMS supported language requiring completion of a minimum two-year postgraduate CODA-accredited residency for specialty recognition, the Board adopted language on April 22 allowing broader recognition of specialists, including immediate recognition of dental implantology as a specialty. The regulations will take time to be formally codified, and a broad coalition of NCRDSCB-recognized specialists, including OSOMS and AAOMS, opposes the rule and is exploring next steps.
