Dentistry

License Requirements

General Requirements

The practice of dentistry or use of the title "dentist" within New York State requires licensure.

To be licensed as a dentist in New York State initially or through endorsement you must:

• be of good moral character;
• be at least 21 years of age;
• meet education requirements;
• meet examination requirements;
• meet experience requirements;
• be a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (Alien Registration Card/USCIS I-551 Status/"Green Card"); and
• complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider.

You must file an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 133, Section 6604 of New York State Education Law and Part 61 of the Commissioner's Regulations.

You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.

Fees

The fee for licensure and first registration is $377.

The fee for a limited permit is $105.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:

  NYS Education Department
  Office of the Professions
  PO Box 22063
  Albany, NY 12201

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Dentistry Unit by e-mail at opunit3@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 270 or by fax at 518-402-5354.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the licensure fee and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Education Requirements

To meet the education requirements for licensure, you must present evidence of completion of:

1. not less than 60 semester hours of preprofessional education, including courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology or zoology, and physics; and
   
   
2. a program of professional education consisting of either:
   
   
   • at least four academic years, or the equivalent thereof, in a program registered by the Department as licensure qualifying or accredited by an accrediting organization acceptable to the Department (see below for information about accredited dental programs); or
     
     
   • at least four academic years of dental education satisfactory to the Department, culminating in a degree, diploma or certificate in dentistry recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of the country in which the school is located, as acceptable for entry into practice in the country in which the school is located (see below).
     
     

If you completed a program of dental education in an unregistered and unaccredited foreign dental school, you must complete not less than two academic years of study satisfactory to the Department in a registered or accredited dental school program including such subjects as may be necessary for certification by such registered or accredited school that you have achieved the level of knowledge and clinical proficiency expected of a graduate of the school. If you have questions about acceptable programs, contact the New York State Board for Dentistry by e-mail at dentbd@mail.nysed.gov, by phone at 518-474-3817 ext. 550 or by fax at 518-473-6995.

In addition to the professional education requirement, every applicant for dental licensure or a limited permit must complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse in accordance with Section 6507(3)(a) of the Education Law. Graduates from New York State dentistry programs after September 1, 1990 are credited with having completed this coursework as part of their dentistry program. All other applicants must submit a certificate of completion from an approved provider or file a certification of exemption before a New York State license or permit can be issued. See additional information and a list of approved providers for this training. This information can also be requested by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 570. You may be eligible for exemption from the training if you can document, to the satisfaction of the Department, that your practice does not involve professional contact with persons under the age of 18 and that you do not have contact with persons 18 or older with a handicapping condition who reside in a residential care school or facility.

You must also complete approved coursework or training appropriate to your practice regarding infection control and barrier precautions in accordance with Section 6505-b of the Education Law, including engineering and work practice controls, to prevent the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis b virus (HBV) in the course of professional practice. Graduates from New York State dentistry programs after September 1, 1993 are credited with having completed this coursework as part of their dentistry program. All other applicants must submit an attestation of compliance with or exemption from the infection control coursework requirement (Form 1IC) within 90 days of your date of licensure. Form 1IC will be sent to you along with your license. See additional information and a list of approved providers of this training. This information can also be requested by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 570.

Accredited Dental Programs

For information about accredited dental programs in the United States or Canada, contact the:

American Dental Association
211 E. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-440-2500
Fax: 312-440-7494
Web: www.ada.org

or contact the State Board for Dentistry (see Contact Information).

Experience Requirements

Beginning January 1, 2007, all applicants for initial licensure must complete an approved clinically-based dental residency program of at least one year's duration. A clinical (practical) examination such as NERB will not be accepted for initial licensure after December 31, 2006.

If you are licensed as a dentist in another jurisdiction and have not completed an approved residency program, you must meet the endorsement requirements. (See Applicants Licensed in Another Jurisdiction (Endorsement) section.)

Dental Residency Programs

The Department must receive, directly from the residency program director, verification of completion of an approved residency program accredited for teaching purposes by an acceptable national accrediting body. You should confirm with your residency program director that the residency program is participating in this route to licensure.

If you participate in a residency program in New York State, you must obtain a limited permit to practice within the residency program.

You may complete a residency program in either a clinical specialty or in general dentistry. The dental residency program requirements are:

• Specialty Clinical Dental Residency Program
  
  The dental resident applicant must complete a clinical specialty residency program in one or more of the following specialty areas: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics or prosthodontics. If the specialty residency program is not in one of these specialty areas, 50% of the program completed by the resident must include clinical training in one or more of these specialty areas or general dentistry to meet New York State requirements.
  
  
• General Dentistry Residency Program
  
  The dental resident applicant must complete a general dentistry program. During the residency program, the dental resident applicant must complete 9 dental procedures - 2 full crowns, 2 endodontically treated teeth (root canals), 4 restorations (2 anterior, 2 posterior), and 1 periodontal case (Type 1) - independently and to generally accepted professional standards. See the Reference Guide included with Form 4B for further information.

Examination Requirements

For licensure, you must obtain passing scores on both Parts I and II of the National Board Dental Examination. The Department must receive verification of your passing scores directly from the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. You are responsible for contacting the examination agency for obtaining appropriate information and forms.

Normally, dental students take Parts I and II of the National Board Dental Examination in the final years of dental study and their dental schools assist in the arrangements. If you completed a program of dental education in an unregistered and unaccredited dental school outside the United States, contact the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations for information on taking the examinations.

For an application to take the National Board Dental Examinations or for transmittal of scores to the New York State Education Department, contact the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (see Reasonable Testing Accommodations section for contact information).

Scores are not available by telephone from the Office of the Professions or the testing agency.

Reasonable Testing Accommodations

If you have a disability and may require reasonable testing accommodations for the examinations, please contact the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations for information. They can be contacted at:

Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 1-800-232-1694
Web: www.ada.org

Applicants Licensed in Another Jurisdiction (Endorsement)

If you are licensed as a dentist in another jurisdiction of the United States and have fulfilled all the requirements for licensure including the experience requirements by completing an approved residency program, this section does not apply to you. You should apply for licensure based upon completion of the approved residency program (see Experience Requirements section for details).

If you have not completed an approved residency program of at least one year's duration and are licensed as a dentist in another jurisdiction of the United States, the Department may endorse that license if the Department determines you have met the licensing requirements of New York State Education Law and the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. To be licensed by endorsement, you must:

• meet New York State education requirements;
• have been licensed in another jurisdiction of the United States and practiced lawfully for at least two years (full-time) following initial licensure - 8 months of such practice must have been in the two years preceding your application;
• have passed an examination satisfactory to the board and in accordance with the Commissioner's Regulations (see Examination Requirements section for details.);
• be at least twenty-one years of age;
• be a United States citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States;
• be of good moral character as determined by the Department; and
• complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider.

To apply for a New York State license by endorsement, you must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following:

• Application for Licensure (Form 1) with a licensure and first registration fee of $377;
• Certification of Professional Education (Form 2) verifying that you meet New York State's education requirements;
• Verification of Other Licensure/Certification (Form 3);
• Personal Affidavit of Professional Practice of Endorsement Applicants (Form 4); and
• Supporting Affidavit of Professional Practice for Endorsement Applicants (Form 4A) to document two years of full-time practice; and
• a certificate of completion or a certificate of exemption for the child abuse identification and reporting training.

Limited Permits

A limited permit allows a graduate of a dental college who has satisfied the education requirements for licensure in this State to practice dentistry only under the supervision of a New York State licensed dentist and only in:

• a registered school of dentistry or dental hygiene to instruct and supervise clinical dentistry or dental hygiene for students in that school and to practice dentistry only on the premises of that registered school or premises used for instruction;
  
  OR
  
  
• a hospital or dental facility approved by an appropriate agency and under the direction or supervision of a licensed dentist. No permit shall be issued or renewed unless you have a bonafide offer of a position in that hospital or dental facility, which has an accredited dental residency program.

A supervising dentist shall be present on the premises at all times when professional services are being rendered by a limited permit holder and will exercise supervision appropriate to the circumstances, according to Section 6605 (1) of the New York State Education Law. You may not begin practice until a limited permit has been issued.

To apply for a limited permit, you must submit, or have submitted on your behalf, the following:

• Application for Limited Permit (Form 5) with the limited permit fee of $105;
• Certification of Professional Education (Form 2) verifying that you meet New York State's education requirements*;
• a certificate of completion or a certificate of exemption for the child abuse identification and reporting training; and
• If licensed in another jurisdiction, Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification (Form 3).

Your limited permit is valid for one year or until ten days after you are notified that your application for licensure was denied. A limited permit which has not expired may be renewed for one year. If you are serving in a residency program in a hospital, annual renewals are available until your residency is completed. To renew your limited permit for an additional year, you must submit a new Form 5 with the $105 fee.

Dental Anesthesia/Sedation

To employ general anesthesia, deep sedation, or conscious sedation (parenteral or enteral route with or without inhalation agents), dentists must meet additional requirements and obtain a dental anesthesia/sedation certificate from the State Education Department.

The requirements you must meet and the forms you must complete to obtain a dental anesthesia/sedation certificate are available on our Web site. You may also request a dental anesthesia/sedation application packet by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320. Information regarding certification is available on our Web site or you may contact the State Board for Dentistry (see Contact Information).

Dentist Summary of Requirements "At a Glance"