I would like to voice my strong opinion against allowing non-residency trained dentists to advertise and indicate to the public that they have specialty training and certification. 

The American board of dental specialties is a unofficial organization that claims to have certification in specialty credentials.  The “requirements” that this so-called board pretends to be valid are laughable in comparison to the requirements by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation.  Legitimate, state-authorized licensure and credentialing and accreditation developed in the 18th century to protect the public from frauds and charlatans.  Our system of state boards and licensing and accreditation of true training programs are a continuation of that process, which has resulted in a very high standard of dental and medical care in this country.  Allowing dentists to claim specialty designation when they have only a fraction of the clinical and didactic training demanded of fully trained specialists is a terrific abuse of  public trust.  It is your responsibility in the Department of Health to ensure that our citizens receive the best possible care by the best trained practitioners.  Bowing to the pressure of threatened lawsuits and other assaults on dental professionalism helps no one.  If anything, as technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, the requirements of training accreditation will need to increase, not decrease.  Please shut the door on this outrageous proposal to make specialty designation meaningless.  Better yet, shine a light on this non-transparent organization that aims to destroy the quality of the dental profession from within, and let the public know how reckless and irresponsible and financially unprincipled their movement has become.