Because dentists are licensed by jurisdictions
such as states, districts, or dependencies, and not at the
national level, different licensing jurisdictions can have
disparate requirements for licensure. But for the most part, the
requirements are pretty similar:
1. Education
2. Written examination
3. Clinical requirement
All jurisdictions accept graduates of ADA-accredited dental
schools as fulfilling the educational requirement. Additionally,
most jurisdictions also accept graduates of Canadian schools that
are accredited by the Canadian Dental Association.
The National Board Dental Examinations were created to
fulfill, either completely or partially, the written examination
requirement. That said, states can place limits on their
acceptance of NBDE scores. For instance, some don't accept scores
from exams taken over 10 years ago. Currently, all U.S. licensing
jurisdictions accept passing the NBDE exams as fulfilling the
written exam requirement.
In two parts
The NBDE is given in two parts—the first to be taken at the end
of two years of dental school, and the second to be taken during
the last year of school. The first part spans basic biomedical
sciences, including
- Anatomic Sciences
- Biochemistry-Physiology
- Microbiology-Pathology
- Dental Anatomy and Occlusion
The second part is a comprehensive, 1½ day examination
covering clinical dental sciences, and patient management. About
20% of the exam is based on patient cases.
States may have different qualifying factors for the clinical
requirement of licensure. Find out more from the jurisdiction that will license
you.
