Licensure

Information

Dental boards in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico grant licenses to dentists, currently licensed and inactive, continuous practice for a specified period of time (typically 5 years) in another jurisdiction, without further theoretical and clinical examination. The license recognition system, often referred to as licensure by credentials, may also be referred to as licensure by reciprocity, endorsement, or criteria.

In granting licensure by credentials, the Board of Dentistry makes a determination that the applicant is currently licensed in a state that has equivalent licensure standards. Technically, licensure by reciprocity refers to a situation in which a jurisdiction has statutory authority to grant licensure recognition only to licensees of states that grant similar recognition to licensees from the receiving jurisdiction. Such decisions may be based on agreements between state boards. These states are indicated by an asterisk(*).

The dental boards in the jurisdictions listed below grant license recognition to dentists.

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC*, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts*, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi*, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey*, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania*, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Seven states do not currently grant licensure by credentials, although dental boards in three of those states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have discretionary authority by statute to do so. Those states are: Georgia*, South Carolina, Wyoming. The other four states that do not grant licensure by credentials are Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia.

For information concerning a state's current practices and specific criteria for license recognition, dentists are strongly urged to contact the dental board of the state in which license recognition is sought.

This licensure by credentials is requirement of active, continuous practice for a specified period of time, should not be confused with the authority that state dental boards possess in granting initial licensure. For initial licensure, state law permits boards to accept the examination results of a regional dental clinical testing agency for a period of time (again generally 5 years) whether or not the applicant is licensed or has practiced in another state. The only requirement is that the state will accept the results of that regional exam.

Nevada will only issue a permanent license after 2 years of practice in that state under a temporary license with no disciplinary action against the dentist.

Minnesota in addition to the traditional licensure by credential law, a "guest licensure" law was enacted in 2002 that allows the dental board to expedite the issuance of a limited license to dentists from adjoining states to facilitate access to care.

Maryland requires applicants for licensure by credentials to successfully complete the Northeast Regional Examining Board's Dental Simulated Clinical Exercise (DSCE).

©American Dental Association
Department of State Government Affairs
April 25, 2003
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