Frequently Asked Questions

Each applicant for Fellowship in The Royal College of Dentists of Canada must meet the following requirements:

1. Completed a dental specialty training program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) or by an organization with a reciprocal accreditation agreement with CDAC.
2. Passed the RCDC Fellowship Examination.
3. Submitted proof of licensure as a specialist in Canada or, if outside of Canada, be eligible for licensure to be recognized as a specialist in their home jurisdiction. As of June 2022, those who do not yet hold a license as a specialist may provide confirmation of eligibility for licensure issued by their regulator instead.

For information on membership benefits, please click here.

A Fellow-Elect is not yet a member of RCDC. They are a dental specialist who has successfully completed the Fellowship Examination, whose completed application has been reviewed and approved by the Registrar, and who is waiting to officially become a Fellow at the next Convocation Ceremony.

The Royal College of Dentists of Canada counts various members among its ranks:

A Member is a dental specialist who was approved to use the MRCDC designation, and was given the use of the term “Member,” having completed the requirements for Membership before 1994, under rules available at the time. The last Memberships were granted in 1994.

A Fellow is a dental specialist who successfully completed the Fellowship Examination, whose application for Fellowship was approved, and who was granted Fellowship during our annual Convocation Ceremony.

Life Fellowship / Life Membership was granted to members in good standing who had fully retired from active practice, and whose request had been reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. This member type is no longer granted, and has been replaced by Life-Active and Retired Fellowship/Membership as of September 2024.

Life-Active Fellow / Life-Active Member is a designation granted to Fellows or Members who maintain an active license, and have either reached the age of 70 years, or have been members of the College for 30 years or more. Once a member reaches either of these milestones, they may submit an application for Life-Active membership, which must be approved by the Board of Directors.

A Fellow or Member may submit an application to become a Retired Fellow / Retired Member once they have completely retired, and no longer hold any license. Once approved by the Board of Directors, Retired Fellows and Members can remain engaged within the College by, for example, maintaining their eligibility to be Committee members, if called.

You may use the designation of Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada (FRCDC) once your name has been called from the register during the Convocation Ceremony. To continue to use this designation, you must remain a Fellow in good standing, which includes the regular payment of Annual Dues.

No, attending Convocation is not mandatory. You automatically become a Fellow once your name has been read from the register during the Convocation Ceremony.

Annual Dues are levied from Fellows and Members and are payable by January 1 each year. As determined annually by the Board of Directors, dues remain unchanged at $550 CAD for the year 2025.

In order to update your contact information, please log into your RCDC account by visiting rcdc.imiscloud.com and clicking on “View Profile.” For assistance, please contact membership@rcdc.ca.

Fellows or Members who maintain a license, but who have reached the age of 70 years, or who have been with the College for 30 years or more may apply for Life-Active Fellowship/Membership. Fellows or Members who have completely retired and who no longer hold any license – regardless of their age or length of membership with the College – may apply for Retired Fellowship/Membership.

For more information, or to submit an application, members can log in to their RCDC account by clicking here.

In order to file a formal complaint against your dentist/dental specialist, please contact the dental regulator of your province. For a list of provincial dental regulators, click here. RCDC is not a regulatory body and has no authority to receive or act on complaints against dentists/dental specialists.

Click here to find a list of current RCDC Fellows and Members.

RCDC offers its own Job Board and it is updated on a regular basis. Click here to check current opportunities.

No. The Royal College of Dentists of Canada is not an educational institution and does not provide courses for dental specialists. However, RCDC does offer continuing education webinars for its members. Additional information can be found here.

For information about the requirements for licensure in Canada, contact the dental regulatory authority (DRA) of the province or territory in which you wish to register. You can find the relevant information here.

The College’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan can be found here.

Dental specialists who volunteer their time and knowledge are the key to the College’s success. The current opportunities for Fellows of the College to get involved are as follows:

1. Examinations: The Fellowship Examination is created and delivered in large part by the dedication and hard work of over 250 dental specialists. Click here to find out about becoming an Examiner.

2. Governance: Annually, The Royal College of Dentists of Canada seeks Members-at-Large to join selected committees that report to the Board of Directors. Click here to find out more about current position(s) under recruitment.

To determine whether you are eligible to sit the Fellowship Examination, please consult the Eligibility section under Examinations here.

Yes. However, the Fellowship Examination is only administered once per year in each specialty. Applicants are welcome to challenge the examination in more than one specialty provided that they meet all of the eligibility requirements. If applying for two specialty examinations in the same year, RCDC recommends that applicants consult the Examination dates for their two specialties before applying.

The Royal College of Dentists of Canada will make reasonable accommodations for candidates with special needs and/or religious restrictions. More information can be found on the Special Accommodations page. Applicants who require particular consideration must notify the Membership Department at membership@rcdc.ca as soon as possible after their application is submitted.

Study guides have been made available in order to illustrate the format of the Examination, specifically the way in which questions may be worded. The candidate study guide may be found here.

Following the Examination, candidates will be asked to complete an online survey regarding the Examination. All individual responses will remain confidential, and results will be used to improve future sessions and the candidate experience.

A candidate’s exam may be reviewed by RCDC only on the basis of suspected significant irregularities in the Examination process, not as a result of alleged errors in the Examination content. Such requests must be addressed to the Examiner-in-Chief and received by membership@rcdc.ca within 15 calendar days of the communication of examination results.

As of 2024, RCDC will once again administer the National Dental Specialty Examination (NDSE). More information is available on the NDSE website.