There are a number of different things that you will be required to do in order to become a dentist, and some specialties may require you to do more than others. However, one of the things that every aspiring dentist has to do before beginning a career in the field of dentistry is to obtain a license to practice. A license to practice is a written document that indicates that you have successfully completed all of the appropriate courses and exams, obtained all of the appropriate degrees, and met all of the other requirements that the licensing board for the state in which you are applying requires before you can legally perform the duties of a dentist in that state. In most cases, this means that in order to obtain your license, you will be required to obtain a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from one of the dental schools accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA CORA), pass both parts of the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE), and meet a series of state-specific requirements.

It is important to note, however, that some states will require you to obtain not only a license, but also the appropriate professional certifications for the dental field in which you intend to specialize. A professional certification is a written document that indicates that you have met all of the education, experience, and/or testing requirements set by the national certifying board for the field in which you intend to specialize. For example, some states may require you to obtain a certificate from the National Board of Orthodontics to work as an orthodontist. These certifications are sometimes required because some states want you to prove that you are not only capable of performing the duties of a licensed dentist, but also capable of performing the duties associated with a specific specialty. Most states will also require you to complete a series of continuing education courses in order to maintain your license and/or certifications and ensure that you are staying up to date with the latest changes in the field of dentistry.

NBDE Part I – After 2nd Year of Dental School

The National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) is split into two parts, the NBDE Part I and NBDE Part II. The NBDE Part I, which is usually taken after your second year of dental school, is designed to help a licensure board determine whether you understand the biomedical science and dental anatomy concepts that you need to know in order to become a dentist.

The NBDE Part I is split into four main sections: anatomic sciences, biochemistry/physiology, dental anatomy/occlusion, and microbiology/pathology. Each of these sections includes 100 multiple-choice questions that can cover a variety of different topics but will all ask you to demonstrate your knowledge of a specific scientific concept or your ability to apply your knowledge of a group of scientific concepts to a specific situation that an actual dentist might encounter.

1. The anatomic sciences section of the exam covers five major topics, including developmental biology (11 questions), gross anatomy (49 questions), histology (23 questions), oral histology (16 questions), and professional ethics and patient management (1 question).
2. The biochemistry/physiology section of the exam covers fourteen major topics, including biological compounds (10 questions); the circulatory system (9 questions); the connective tissues of the body (8 questions); digestion (5 questions); the endocrine system (8 questions); metabolism and the processes related to it (17 questions); molecular and cellular biology (9 questions); the muscles of the body (6 questions); the nervous system (6 questions); oral physiology (3 questions); professional ethics and patient management (1 question); the renal system (8 questions); the respiratory system (6 questions); and the structure and function of membranes (4 questions).
3. The dental anatomy/occlusion section of the exam covers six major topics, including anomalies in tooth morphology (8 questions); calcification and eruption (6 questions); pulp cavity morphology (5 questions); the principles of occlusion and functional anatomy (37 questions); professional ethics and patient management (1 question); and tooth morphology (43 questions).
4. The microbiology/pathology section of the exam covers seven major topics, including abnormal and disturbed tissue and/or cellular growth (12 questions); the basic concepts of microbiology (20 questions); immunology and immunopathology (13 questions, with 3 or more questions related to the defense mechanisms and immune responses of the mouth); professional ethics and patient management (1 question); special infectious diseases (22 questions, with 8 or more questions related to the diseases of the mouth); systemic pathology (22 questions); and tissue injuries and the way that the body responds to them (10 questions).

In order to take either the first or second part of the NBDE, you have to be a current student in one of the dental schools accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA CORA), a graduate of an accredited dental school, or a graduate of an unaccredited school that allowed you to take a series of biomedical and dental anatomy courses. If you are attending an accredited school, you must submit an application and obtain permission from the dean of the school that you are attending to take the exam. If you are a graduate of an unaccredited school, you must submit an application and obtain permission from the ADA to take the exam. It is important to note, however, that a graduate from an unaccredited school will only be granted permission to take the exam if his or her transcript is reviewed and approved by an independent educational credential evaluation organization.

NBDE Part II – After Last Year of Dental School

The National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) is split into two parts, the NBDE Part I and the NBDE Part II. The NBDE Part II, which is usually taken after your last year of dental school, is designed to help a licensure board determine whether you understand the dental practices, procedures, and specialized concepts that you need to know in order to become a dentist.

The NBDE Part II is split into nine main sections: endodontics, operative dentistry, oral diagnosis, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and pediatric dentistry, patient management, periodontics, pharmacology, and prosthodontics.

1. The endodontics section includes 31 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the procedures used to treat the root of the tooth. This section covers adjunctive endodontic therapy (1 question); case selection, clinical diagnosis, patient management, and treatment planning (19 questions); endodontic procedures (7 questions); post-treatment evaluations (2 questions); procedural complications (1 question); and traumatic injuries (1 question).
2. The operative dentistry section includes 44 multiple-choice questions that ask you about dental caries (8 questions); dental examinations, diagnosis, and treatment planning (27 questions); general dentistry procedures (3 questions); the principles, procedures, and tools used to prepare cavities for restoration (3 questions); and the principles, procedures, and tools used to restore a prepared cavity (3 questions).
3. The oral diagnosis section includes 45 multiple-choice questions that ask you about oral pathology (35 questions) and oral radiology (10 questions).
4. The oral and maxillofacial surgery section includes 47 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the surgical procedures used to treat issues in the face, jaws, or mouth. This section covers anxiety and pain control (3 questions); medical assessment and emergency care (19 questions); surgical diagnosis (4 questions); surgical procedures and the injuries and disorders that they are designed to treat (15 questions); and treatment planning (6 questions).
5. The orthodontics and pediatric dentistry section includes 52 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the procedures used to treat dental problems in children. This section covers dentofacial variations and the procedures used to diagnose and treat those variations (9 questions); patient behavior (10 questions); single tooth pathology (15 questions); supporting tissue pathology (8 questions); and systemic pathology (10 questions).
6. The patient management section includes 51 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the way that a dentist is supposed to interact with his or her patients. This section covers anxiety and pain control (5 questions); communication and interpersonal interactions (9 questions); dental literature (5 questions); disabled and medically compromised patients (5 questions); epidemiology (8 questions); infection control (2 questions); materials and equipment safety (1 question); the prevention of oral diseases and disorders (1 question); and professional responsibility and the liability that may arise from that responsibility (12 questions).
7. The periodontics section includes 50 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the supporting structures of the teeth. This section covers etiology (4 questions); pathogenesis (1 question); periodontal diagnosis (7 questions); prevention and maintenance (7 questions); prognosis (1 question); treatment planning (8 questions); and therapy (22 questions).
8. The pharmacology section includes 31 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the medications that a dentist may encounter. This section covers analgesics (5 questions); antihistamines and autacoids (2 questions); the drugs used in chemotherapy (5 questions); drugs that primarily affect the cardiovascular system (2 questions); drugs that primarily affect the central nervous system (4 questions); drugs that affect the autonomic nervous system (2 questions); endocrines and immunosuppressants (2 questions); the general principles of pharmacology (6 questions); and local anesthetics (3 questions).
9. The prosthodontics section includes 49 multiple-choice questions that ask you about the procedures used to replace missing teeth. This section covers the basic concepts, tools, and practices used in prosthodontics (22 questions); complete dentures and removable partial dentures (10 questions); and fixed partial prosthodontics (17 questions).

Continuing Education

If you are considering a career in the field of dentistry, it is important to remember that you may be required by your state to continue your education after you obtain your license to practice. This is because the field of dentistry is constantly evolving and there are a number of new tools, procedures, practices, and techniques developed for the dental field each year that a dentist must be familiar with. The continuing education requirements vary from state to state, and it may be difficult in some cases for an individual to determine the exact requirements necessary for a specific state. You may be able to get a general idea of some of the continuing education requirements by looking at the requirements that most states have.

• The first continuing education requirement that most states ask for is license re-registration or renewal. In order to meet this requirement, you must obtain the appropriate number of continuing education credits for the state in which you are working before you renew your license. In most cases, this means that you will need to earn somewhere between 14 and 30 continuing education credits a year to maintain your license. It is important to note, however, that some states do not require you to renew your license annually; these states may allow you to have more than one year to obtain the credits that you need. If a state allows you more than one year to obtain your continuing education credits, you will still be required to obtain approximately the same number of credits per year. For example, some states require you to obtain 100 credits over a five-year period instead of 20 credits every year (20 credits per year x 5 years = 100 credits). Some states will allow you to obtain some or all of your credits online or through the mail, but others will require you to obtain all of your credits through the dental schools that the state has approved.
• The second continuing education requirement that most states ask for is certification re-registration or renewal. In order to meet this requirement, you must obtain the appropriate number of continuing education credits to maintain the certifications that the state requires you to have. In most cases, this means that you will need to earn somewhere between 25 and 100 continuing education credits in your specialty every one, two, five, or ten years.

State-Specific Requirements for Licensing

You will be required to meet a number of different requirements in order to obtain your license to practice dentistry, but the specific requirements will vary from state to state. It is important to note, however, that the licensure requirements of most states are typically very similar, and you may be able to get an idea of some of the state-specific requirements by looking at some of the basic requirements of most states.

• First, most states have a degree requirement before you can obtain your license. In most cases, this means that you will need a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree. However, there are a number of different degrees that an individual can pursue in the field of dentistry, and some states will accept other degrees as long as the degree required you to obtain a similar amount of education (which is typically four years in an undergraduate program and four years in a graduate program). It is also important to note that your degree must be from one of the dental schools accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA CORA) or one of the dental schools approved by the state in which you are applying.
• Second, most states have an examination requirement before you can obtain your license. This typically means that you will have to take and pass the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) and a clinical examination for the state in which you are applying. The NBDE, which is typically administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) in each of the dental schools accredited by the ADA CORA, is required in every state. The clinical examination, which is typically administered by a regional clinical testing agency, is required in every state except New York (the state of New York requires an individual to complete a one-year residency program instead of the clinical exam). It is important to note, however, that the specific clinical examination that you will be required to take will vary from state to state, and that some states do not use a regional clinical testing agency to administer their exam. In fact, Delaware, Florida, Nevada, and the Virgin Islands all administer their own exams, and the state of California administers a regional clinical testing agency exam and a state-specific exam (you will be required to take and pass both clinical exams in order to obtain a license to practice in the state of California). Some states allow an individual to complete a one-year residency program instead of a clinical exam, but the state of New York is the only state that requires an individual to complete a residency program.
• Third, most states have an age requirement, a background check requirement, a life-support training requirement, and other similar requirements. In most cases, this means that you will have to be at least 18 years old (at least 21 years old in some states), pass a background check, receive training in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and meet a series of other similar requirements in order to receive your license.