Changes to the Dental Specialty Membership Examinations
02 Feb 2026
Information for candidates
The Dental Specialty Membership qualifications will be changing over 2026 and 2027. These changes affect exams for all specialities and includes those bi-collegiate examinations offered by RCS England and RCPS Glasgow that are currently managed by RCS England:
- Membership in Orthodontics (MOrth)
- Membership in Endodontics (MEndo)
- Membership in Periodontics (MPerio)
- Membership in Prosthodontics (MPros)
Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations
We have been working in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow on the development of a new generation of dental exams. The new Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations exams will launch in late 2026. Completion of the MFDS will be a requirement for entry. Dental trainees who started their training from September 2024 will be required to sit these new exams as part of their training pathway.
Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations will cover the following specialties: dental public health, endodontics, oral medicine, oral surgery, orthodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, restorative dentistry and special care dentistry.
The new Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations exam format will be in two parts: a written paper consisting of single best answer questions/multiple choice questions and a structured oral examination.
Should I sit the existing exams or the new exam?
Dental trainees who started their training from September 2024 will be required to sit the new Dental Speciality Fellowship Examinations as part of their training pathway.
If you have started studying for, or taken part of an existing Specialty Membership Exam, you should use the information below to help with your decision.
When will the existing examinations end?
Membership in Orthodontics (MOrth)
The MOrth examination dates for 2026 are 6–8 May and 7–11 September. The September diet will be held in Kuala Lumpur.
The final MOrth examination will take place in May 2027 in the UK. Please check the exam page for exact dates once these are published.
Membership in Endodontics (MEndo), Membership in Periodontics (MPerio) & Membership in Prosthodontics (MPros)
The MEndo, MPerio & MPros examinations will take place on 31 March-2 April (applications for this exam have now closed) and 26-28 August 2026.
The final MEndo, MPerio & MPros examinations will take place in April 2027. Please check the exam page for exact dates once these are published.
Transitional arrangements
Any candidate who has passed the knowledge sections of the Specialty Membership Examinations will be exempt from taking the knowledge component of the Speciality Fellowship Examinations for a period of two years from the last diet of the Speciality Membership Examinations. These candidates will only be required to pass the clinical section of the Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations to receive the fellowship qualification.
- For MOrth, this is a pass in the SAQ component of the Speciality Membership Examination. Candidates will receive an exemption from the knowledge section of the Speciality Fellowship Examination until May 2029.
- For MEndo, MPerio and MPros, this is a pass in the General SAQ and relevant Speciality SAQ components of the Speciality Membership Examination. Candidates will receive an exemption from the knowledge section of the Speciality Fellowship Examination until April 2029.
Any candidates choosing to sit the final examination sittings in Spring 2027 must be clear that these are the final examinations of the Speciality Membership Examinations, and failing this would mean moving to the new Specialty Fellowship examinations.
Candidates should also be aware that places are limited and those on a UK training programme will be prioritised. Outside of this, place will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Where can I find more information?
Check the Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations website for information on the new exams or email dentalexams@rcseng.ac.uk.