Dentistry Licensure

by Luke Smith,

WES Education Services

September 12, 2022

Licensure is required to practice as a dentist. While licensure requirements vary by state, they all call for three basic requirements: education, written exam, and clinical exam or residency.

• Education: Internationally trained dentists are REQUIRED to first earn a U.S. DDS or DMD degree by completing a two- to three-year advanced standing program at a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Most, but not all, of these programs can be applied to through the ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (ADEA CAAPID).
• Written Exam: The old written exam, the National Board Dental Examinations (NBDE), has now been replaced with the new Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE) as of July 31, 2022. While the NBDE was in two parts, the INBDE is a single exam format.
• Clinical Exam: Most U.S. licensing boards also require that candidates pass a clinical exam on either a live patient or a manikin, although some may accept or require a one-year clinical residency instead. Most clinical exams are carried out by one of four regional clinical testing agencies, depending on where you are applying for licensure, although there are exceptions. They are:
  • CDCA-WREB(formerly the Commission for Dental Competency Assessments and the Western Regional Examining Board)
  • Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA)
  • Central Regional Dental Testing Services, Inc. (CRDTS)
  • Southern Regional Testing Agency, Inc. (SRTA)

You can find exam and other licensure information for your state on the American Dental Association’s searchable licensure map.