Endodontics is one of the dental specialties

Specialty (dentistry)

In the United States, Canada, and Australia, there are nine recognized dental specialties in which some dentists choose to train and practice, in addition to or instead of general dentistry....

 recognized by the American Dental Association

American Dental Association

The American Dental Association is an American professional association established in 1859 which has more than 155,000 members. Based in Chicago, the ADA is the world's largest and oldest national dental association and promotes good oral health to the public while representing the dental...

, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

The Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons or RACDS is a professional college established in 1965 that administers Fellowship Exams for both general and specialist dental practitioners in the Australasian region...

, and deals with the tooth pulp

Pulp (tooth)

The dental pulp is the part in the center of a tooth made up of living connective tissue and cells called odontoblasts.- Anatomy :Each person can have a total of up to 52 pulp organs, 32 in the permanent and 20 in the primary teeth....

 and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth

Tooth

Teeth are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws of many vertebrates that are used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are embedded in the Mandible bone or the Maxillary bone and are...

. Endodontists perform a variety of procedures including root canal

Root canal

A root canal is the space within the root of a tooth. It is part of a naturally occurring space within a tooth that consists of the pulp chamber , the main canal, and more intricate anatomical branches that may connect the root canals to each other or to the surface of the root.-Root canal anatomy:...

 therapy, endodontic retreatment

Endodontic retreatment

Endodontic retreatment describes a dental root canal procedure procedure that is carried out on a tooth that has previously had root canal treatment. For this reason it is also called "repeat root canal treatment"....

, surgery, treating cracked teeth

Cracked tooth syndrome

Cracked tooth syndrome is a medical condition in which a partial crack extends through the dentin, and occasionally through the pulp of a tooth.-Classification:...

, and treating dental trauma

Dental trauma

Dental trauma refers to trauma to the face, mouth, and especially the teeth lips and periodontium. The study of dental trauma is called dental traumatology.- Types :* Tooth fractures**Enamel infraction**Enamel fracture**Enamel-dentine fracture...

. Root canal therapy is one of the most common procedures. If the pulp (containing nerve

Nerve

A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...

s, arterioles, venules, lymphatic tissue, and fibrous tissue) becomes diseased or injured, endodontic treatment is required to save the tooth.
Australian programs are accredited by the Australian Dental Council (ADC) and are 3 years in length and culminate with either a Master degree (MDS) or a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry degree (DClinDent).