Periodontics Residency Programs in Tennessee
Tennessee has 2 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in periodontics, based in Memphis and Nashville.
Each is listed below with its institution, city, current accreditation status, and the years of CODA's last and next accreditation visits, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Completing one of these programs is the recognized path into the periodontics specialty — read on for what each program's status means and what happens after residency.
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At a glance
In Tennessee
Programs
2
With a program
Cities
2
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
1 of 2
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Tennessee
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List: What Tennessee's Accreditation Statuses Mean
The statuses shown above are CODA's own terms, not this site's. "Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" — the status held by the Memphis program — is the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation." "Initial Accreditation" — the status held by the Nashville program — is what CODA grants to a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents; it isn't a warning sign, just a marker the program hasn't operated long enough to have graduates.
Neither program currently holds "Approval (with Reporting Requirements)," the status CODA uses when a program has deficiencies to correct within a set timeframe.
The visit years shown are CODA's own accreditation-visit schedule, not the program's.
For admissions, structure, or cost, contact the program directly and confirm its current status with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for the Path Into Periodontics
Periodontics is one of 12 recognized dental specialties, and completing a CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in the specialty is how a dentist becomes a periodontist.
Tennessee has 2 accredited programs, compared with 1 in North Carolina, 2 in Kentucky and 2 in Georgia nearby; wherever you train, our step-by-step guide to becoming a periodontist covers the full sequence from dental school through residency, our periodontist career guide what the role involves day to day, and which dental specialty pays the most how periodontics compares with the other eleven.
Graduates of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry and Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry programs who go on to practice in Tennessee need a dentist license from the Tennessee Board of Dentistry — see Tennessee's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in Tennessee
A CODA-accredited residency is the entry point into periodontics, not the final step — practicing afterward still requires holding an active dentist license in the state where you intend to work.
Tennessee also issues a separate specialty certification, and a dentist may not advertise as a specialist or limit practice to a specialty without it; check its requirements with the Tennessee Board of Dentistry.
Residents who train in Memphis or Nashville and go on to practice in Tennessee can search current periodontist jobs in Tennessee to see who's hiring now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited periodontics residency programs are in Tennessee?
Tennessee has 2 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in periodontics, located in Memphis and Nashville.
Each is listed above with its institution, city and current CODA accreditation status.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
What does "Initial Accreditation" mean for the Nashville program?
"Initial Accreditation" is the classification CODA grants to a program that is accredited but has not yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents.
It doesn't mean the program is provisional or lesser — it simply hasn't operated long enough to have graduates yet.
Confirm the program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
Does an out-of-state periodontics residency count if I want to practice in Tennessee?
Yes.
CODA accreditation is national, so a residency accredited by CODA counts regardless of which state it's in.
What matters for practicing in Tennessee afterward is holding an active Tennessee dentist license — see our Tennessee dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires.
What comes after finishing a CODA-accredited periodontics residency in Tennessee?
Graduates hold an active dentist license in the state where they intend to practice.
Tennessee also issues a separate specialty certification, and a dentist may not advertise as a specialist or limit practice to a specialty without it; check its requirements with the Tennessee Board of Dentistry.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming a periodontist walks through the full sequence from dental school through residency and licensure.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Tennessee & Periodontist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.