Background information: requirements for advanced specialty education programs in prosthodontics.

The proposed revisions have been developed to address problems of fragmentation, inconsistency, and lack of balance in advanced prosthodontic education. Minimum didactic and clinical requirements for each subdiscipline are clearly indicated in the proposed "Requirements," and programs will no longer be directed to provide special emphasis in one subdiscipline. It should be noted that the proposed "Requirements" do not prevent or preclude programs from emphasizing one subdiscipline. This option is left up to the sponsoring institutions. The proposed "Requirements," however, do underscore the fact that the primary responsibility of accredited prosthodontic programs is to provide students with the opportunity to achieve competence in the full scope of prosthodontic procedures.