FAAID Meaning

The Acronym Decoded: Fellow of the AAID

If you have searched for the meaning of FAAID, the answer on this site is specific: FAAID means Fellow of the AAID, where AAID is the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. The letters are the authorized post-nominal designation a dentist may use after earning Fellow status through the Academy's credentialing process. Other professional bodies use similar-looking letter strings, so it is worth being precise: everything in this article concerns the implant dentistry credential and nothing else.

Breaking the acronym apart makes it easy to remember:

• F is for Fellow, the credentialing tier being conferred.
• AAID is the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, the organization that sets requirements, administers the examination, and elects Fellows.

For related definitions, see our explainers on what FAAID stands for, what FAAID is, and what FAAID means. This article goes a step further by explaining what the designation represents in practice and what a candidate must do to earn it.

Who Awards the FAAID Designation

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry is the credentialing body. It publishes the Fellow requirements, runs the application window, assembles examiner teams for the oral/case examination, and ultimately elects successful candidates. The designation is not a state license and does not replace one. Applicants must already be licensed dental practitioners, and the credential sits on top of that licensure as peer-reviewed recognition of implant competence.

The Academy's own announcement page describes the authorized designation, and the Fellow requirements page lays out eligibility, case requirements, and induction. Candidates should treat those AAID pages, along with the current credentialing guidebook, as the authoritative sources. Rules and fees can change, so always confirm against the live pages before committing time and money.

What "Fellow" Actually Signals in Implant Dentistry

In many professional societies, Fellowship is simply a membership grade. For AAID, it is earned through demonstrated clinical performance. The exam requires candidates to show surgical and prosthetic competence and to have personally provided surgical and/or prosthetic treatment for each submitted case. That requirement is the heart of what the designation communicates: the Fellow has treated real patients through the full arc of implant care, documented the work rigorously, and defended it in front of examiners.

That distinction matters when patients, referring colleagues, or employers evaluate credentials. A Fellow has not merely logged continuing education hours; the candidate has presented diagnostic records, treatment planning rationale, surgical and prosthetic execution, and long-term function. To explore how the designation might fit your career, read Is the FAAID Certification Worth It? and FAAID Jobs.

The Path to the Fellow Designation

Eligibility is layered. Candidates must be licensed dental practitioners and must follow one of two entry routes:

• Be an AAID Associate Fellow in good standing, or
• Have passed Associate Fellow Part 1 and meet the Fellow eligibility criteria.

On top of the route requirement, applicants need:

• At least five years of implant-dentistry experience.
• 400 hours of implant continuing education, including 75 participatory/hands-on hours.

The educational requirement can also be satisfied by completing a qualifying full-time implant dentistry, periodontal, oral/maxillofacial surgery, or prosthodontics program lasting at least one year. Our FAAID requirements guide walks through the prerequisites in more detail.

How the Fellow Examination Works

The Fellow exam is a virtual oral/case examination administered by AAID examiner teams. It is not a multiple-choice test. Instead, the candidate:

1. Discusses five standardized clinical cases supplied through the examination process, and
2. Defends five submitted cases drawn from the candidate's own practice, each on a different patient.

The guide specifies roughly three hours for the examination itself, and up to four hours once equipment testing is included. Because delivery is virtual, the technical setup is part of the job:

• An Internet-capable computer with a webcam.
• A cellular device.
• A prior equipment check before exam day.

The examination is conducted in English. An AAID-supplied interpreter may be arranged, but at the candidate's expense. For a deeper look at the challenge, see How Hard Is the FAAID Exam?. Note that a current numeric passing threshold and pass-rate statistic were not verified for this credential, so treat any figure you see elsewhere with caution; our pages on the passing score and pass rate explain what is and is not publicly confirmed.

The Five Required Case Types

The submitted cases are not a free choice. Each of the five must fit a defined category, and each must meet shared technical standards. Every case requires:

• A final prosthesis in function for at least one year by the examination period.
• Implants at least 3 mm in diameter.
• A written narrative.
• Diagnostic photographs and radiographs.
• Signed patient releases.

One more caution: AAID's legacy FAQ still contains an older submitted-case and rating scheme. The current five-case requirements take precedence, so do not build your portfolio from outdated FAQ language.

The Four Case-Report Headings You Must Master

Preparation is organized around four principal headings of the Fellow Examination Case Report Outline, found on pages 18-19 of the AAID guidebook Demystifying the AAID Credentialing Examinations (REV3, copyright 2024, with Fellow requirements and study-guide revisions dated July 2022). These are required case-report preparation headings, not an exhaustive blueprint of the oral exam, and no weights are published for them. For a broader walkthrough, see our FAAID exam domains guide.

Fees, Dates, and the Conflicting Schedules

Money and timing are where candidates most often trip, partly because AAID's own published materials do not fully agree. The live fee page and the linked 2024 guide list different amounts:

Because these official schedules conflict, confirm the applicable fee for your route directly with AAID before paying. The guide describes the substitution fee as an alternative to the full fee, not an additional charge. For a broader financial picture, our certification cost breakdown covers the budgeting side.

As of October 7, 2026, the next application window opens in November 2026 and closes February 1, 2027, and the Fellow oral/case exam is scheduled virtually for April 3, 2027. Dates shift between cycles, so check our exam dates page and AAID's exam schedule for the latest.

After the Exam: Election, Induction, and Maintenance

Passing the oral examination is not the final step. Election follows Admissions and Credentials Board approval and a Board of Trustees vote. Successful oral candidates must then attend an Annual Business Meeting for induction within two years.

Maintaining the designation requires active AAID membership. Regular Fellow dues are USD 695 annually, payable January 1. If you are weighing the long-term return, our salary guide discusses earnings considerations, though no specific figures should be assumed from the designation alone.

Sequencing Your Preparation

Generic cramming does not work for a case-defense exam. A better approach is to align your work with the four report headings. A sample sequence for the final stretch before the application window closes:

For more structured planning, see our FAAID study guide and the condensed cheat sheet. You can also explore FAAID training options. When you want a broader practice resource, visit the main practice test site for additional preparation materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding what FAAID means is the first step; the real work lies in the cases, the documentation, and the defense. Review the official AAID guidebook, confirm current fees and dates, and use our practice resources to organize your preparation.