There's no shortcut from RDH to dental therapist: it's a separate, CODA-accredited dental therapy program — at least three academic years of full-time study, or the equivalent — followed by that state's own licensing process, not an add-on to an existing hygiene license.
CODA's accreditation standard does leave room for "documentation of advanced standing," which can shorten the timeline for some students, but it doesn't say by how much or that hygienists specifically qualify for it.
For what a dental therapist is actually licensed to do that a hygienist isn't, see our dental hygienist vs. dental therapist comparison — this guide is about the path itself.
It's a separate credential, not an add-on
A dental hygiene license doesn't convert into a dental therapy license, and there's no expanded-function add-on course that bridges the two.
Dental therapy is its own accredited program, built around the restorative and simple-surgical scope — drilling, filling, some extractions — that sits outside a hygienist's license entirely.
That means anyone moving from hygiene into dental therapy is applying to, and completing, a distinct education program before they can be licensed as a dental therapist.
What follows is what the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) actually requires of that program, and what's known about where the resulting license exists today.
How long dental therapy school takes
CODA's Dental Therapy accreditation standards set the floor.
Standard 2-1 states it plainly: "The curriculum must include at least three academic years of full-time instruction or its equivalent at the postsecondary college-level."
The standard's own intent language calls that "the minimum preparation for a dental therapist" — a floor, not a typical length, and actual program lengths beyond that minimum aren't published anywhere in this guide's sourcing.
The same intent language adds one more detail worth knowing: it notes the three years "could include documentation of advanced standing."
In plain terms, CODA's standard doesn't rule out a program crediting a student's prior education toward the three-year minimum.
It does not say how much advanced standing is available, which students qualify for it, or that a dental hygiene license specifically earns any — that determination sits with each individual program, not with the standard itself.
"Advanced standing" isn't a fixed number of credits
What the curriculum actually covers
CODA's Standard 2-13 lists the didactic dental-science content areas a dental therapy curriculum must cover "within the scope of dental therapy," running from item a through item s.
Among the areas it names: tooth morphology, oral pathology, radiology, periodontology, cariology, atraumatic restorative treatment (ART), operative dentistry, pain management, pediatric and geriatric dentistry, oral surgery, prosthodontics, and infection control.
That list is exactly where the training diverges from a hygiene curriculum — operative dentistry, ART, and oral surgery are restorative and surgical content a hygiene program doesn't teach, because a hygienist isn't licensed to prepare a tooth or extract one.
It's the didactic mirror of the scope difference our hygienist vs. dental therapist comparison lays out.
Where the license actually exists
Dental therapy is authorized in a growing number of states, including Minnesota, Maine, Washington and Wisconsin; no verified current count exists.
Minnesota was the first state to license the role.
Minnesota licenses two tiers — dental therapist and advanced dental therapist — rather than a single credential.
Alaska's version has a different origin: the Dental Health Aide Therapist (DHAT) program began in tribal health settings and predates most states' civilian licensure of the role.
Maine also authorizes dental therapy.
Washington licenses dental therapists statewide to practice in federally qualified health centers, tribal FQHCs and FQHC look-alikes (RCW 18.265, enacted 2023), and Wisconsin authorized the role in 2023 (Wis.
Stat.
447.06).
Outside that group of states, the license simply doesn't exist yet, regardless of how much CODA-accredited training someone completes.
Because new states adopt the role periodically and the underlying rules aren't identical from one state to the next, confirm current authorization and requirements with the specific state's dental board before planning around this path.
Verify your state before you enroll
After the program: getting licensed
CODA's standards govern what an accredited dental therapy program must teach — they don't set the license itself.
Licensure is a state-by-state matter, the same way dental hygiene licensure is, and the credential a graduate is awarded (certificate or degree) is left to the individual institution rather than fixed by the accreditation standard.
That means the exam requirements, application process, and scope details a new dental therapist has to satisfy come from the licensing state, not from CODA.
If you're comparing this path to the one you already know, our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist walks through the RDH equivalent — national written exam, clinical boards, state jurisprudence exam — for reference.
This article is general career and education information, not legal advice. Dental therapy accreditation standards, state authorization, and licensing requirements change over time — confirm current requirements with CODA-accredited programs directly and with your state dental board.