This study revealed the variation that exists amongst the postgraduate academic and CPD courses in Dental Implantology in terms of level of qualification, duration, study mode, tuition fee, entry requirements and core modules. The level of qualification ranged from non-verifiable CPD to masters level, and the duration of courses also varied in accordance with the level of qualifications. Most of the courses were delivered in a part-time mode which demonstrates the demand for such courses by the dental practitioners who are in full-time employment. The variation in tuition fees ranged drastically between programmes with some up to four times more expensive in both academic and CPD courses.

With respect to entry requirements, most institutions required the candidates to have up to 2 years post-qualification clinical experience (with no specification as to what experience was required), whereas the others only specified to have a primary qualification in Dentistry and registration with GDC. Some also included arrangement of professional indemnity as a part of entry requirements.

In addition, the availability of mentoring for implant placements on patients is another important factor within postgraduate education. In this study, the number of patients supervised during a CPD varied significantly from 1 patient to 50 patients. Furthermore, there were two courses that did not offer any mentoring opportunities at all. It is felt that the postgraduate courses without provision of mentoring or clinical supervision have limited benefit, and therefore, there is a need for more consistent approach to postgraduate training in the subject.

The dentists who practise Dental Implantology may possess different qualifications and different level of experiences depending on the way they developed their career pathway. Although all practitioners should aim to obtain a formal postgraduate qualification in the subject, it has been reported that the product training organised by commercial companies, short 1 to 2 day courses (with no predetermined learning outcomes) and study club meetings were ranked as the three common forms of CPD education in implant dentistry in Europe [10]. Practitioners should ensure to gain appropriate level of training and work within their competencies, as inadequate training and lack of skills may endanger patient safety.