Restructuring Clinical Dental Specialty Examination: A Call for National Standard

This commentary encompassed present clinical dental specialty training and assessments in Malaysia. Specifically, no uniform examination and assessment are identified within the dental specialty training programmes provided by local dental schools. Candidates who underwent the same specialty programme might be trained and evaluated differently (depending on the institution). Despite the standard Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) guideline for dental specialty training programmes (initially published in 2019), the aforementioned standards were established as a national reference for present and future Malaysian dental specialty programmes with no indication of standardised national dental specialty programme assessments. As such, a national reference for dental specialty assessments under the guidance of dental and MQA authorities is urgently needed to ensure standard quality and competent graduates of the programmes.