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The CDSA requests that applicants scan and email application forms and supporting documents, including notarized or certified documents to Registration@cdsab.ca 

For those documents that need to be provided directly from the source (i.e. Transcripts, Certificates of Standing and Letters of Good Standing) they can be received electronically, from the source, to Registration@cdsab.ca

Note that the CDSA will only be able to accept documents if the scanned images are clear. Documents will be reviewed as received and the registration team will reach out for clarification as needed. Thank you for your patience.

To practice dentistry in Alberta a dentist must be registered with the CDSA. To register, an applicant as a regulated member will:

  1. have a degree of doctor of dental surgery or doctor of dental medicine from a dentistry program approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada or the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association;

    Graduates of non-accredited dental programs would require successful completion of the National Dental Examining Board of Canada equivalency process;

  2. have successfully completed the National Dental Examining Board of Canada written and OSCE examinations and/or the National Dental Examining Board of Canada National Dental Specialty Examination; and

  3. From the date a completed application is received, we can take up to 45 business days to provide you a registration decision.

2024 CDSA Fee Structure

English Language Proficiency Requirement

The Health Professions Act and the Dentists Profession Regulation require an applicant to have demonstrated proficiency in the English language as required by the Registrar. All applicants registering as dentists in Alberta must demonstrate proficiency in speaking, listening, writing, and reading in English.

English Language Proficiency (ELP) can be proven by graduating from a dental education program in a country where English is the first or native language.

Proof of graduation or completion of a dental program in English can be provided through one of the following:

  • Transcripts,
  • Notarized/certified copies of dental degrees earned, or
  • Providing a letter or certificate of standing from a jurisdiction that meets ELP requirements.

An English language proficiency test is required when the dental school or postgraduate education program was conducted in a language other than English, or the applicant is coming from a jurisdiction where there is no English language proficiency requirement.

For more information on the ELP tests and minimum passing grade, exclusions, practice permit renewals, definitions, and a listing of countries recognized as having English as a first or primary language please refer to the English Language Proficiency registration policy.