In dentistry, CDT means two different things — the American Dental Association's Current Dental Terminology billing codes, and the Certified Dental Technician credential this article covers.
A Certified Dental Technician (CDT) is a dental lab technician who has passed three exams — written Comprehensive and Specialty exams, plus a hands-on Practical exam — administered by the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (NBC) in one of seven recognized specialties.
It's a voluntary professional certification, not a state license.
CDT: two acronyms, one letter set
Searching "CDT" in a dental context turns up two unrelated things.
One is Current Dental Terminology, the ADA's procedure code set used for billing and insurance claims — nothing to do with a person's credentials; see CDT codes: what a dental billing coordinator needs to know for that side of the acronym.
The other is the Certified Dental Technician, the individual certification this article is about.
A Certified Dental Technician has passed three exams — a written Comprehensive exam, a written Specialty exam, and a hands-on Practical exam — administered by the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (NBC), an independent certifying board, not a government agency.
For the role itself, see what a dental lab technician does; for the full path into the job, including the CDT inside that broader career timeline, see how to become a dental lab technician.
The three exams: Comprehensive, Specialty, and Practical
CDT certification requires passing three exams, and the NBC lets a candidate take them in any order — but all three must be passed within four years of passing the first one.
- Comprehensive exam — written, 160 multiple-choice items covering the general body of dental laboratory technology knowledge.
- Specialty exam — written, 80 multiple-choice items, tested within one of the NBC's seven recognized specialty areas.
- Practical exam — a hands-on fabrication exam in that same specialty, evaluated for craft and technical accuracy rather than multiple-choice recall.
The seven recognized specialties a candidate chooses between for the Specialty and Practical exams are Ceramics, Complete Dentures, Crown & Bridge, Digital Workflow, Implants, Orthodontics, and Partial Dentures. "Digital Workflow" being one of the seven is notable on its own — it means CAD/CAM and digital lab work is a certifiable discipline in its own right, not just a tool added on top of traditional bench work.
See CAD/CAM and digital workflow skills in a dental lab for what that specialty actually looks like on the job.
Who's eligible to sit the CDT exams
The NBC's published eligibility criteria for sitting the CDT exams are: a working knowledge of English; being a high school graduate or holding a documented equivalent; satisfactory ethical and legal standing under the NBC's disciplinary standards; and meeting the technical prerequisites for testing.
That's the full list the NBC itemizes on its eligibility page — it does not break eligibility down by education program versus on-the-job apprenticeship, or specify a required number of years of experience.
If you're weighing which route to take before you're exam-ready, how to become a dental lab technician covers both the accredited-program and on-the-job paths in full, including the Recognized Graduate (RG) option some candidates use to shorten the timeline.
What the CDT exams cost
Exam fees are published per exam, not as a bundle:
- Comprehensive exam: $275
- Specialty exam: $275
- Practical exam: $650
Passing all three on the first attempt totals $1,200 — that figure is simply the sum of the three exam fees, not a separate bundled price.
A candidate who fails an exam has to submit a new application and pay the fee again to retake it, so the $1,200 total assumes a first-time pass on each.
How and where the exams are administered
The written Comprehensive and Specialty exams are computer-based and administered with remote proctoring — a candidate doesn't need to travel to a fixed test center for those two.
The Practical exam works differently, since it requires hands-on fabrication: a candidate can take it remotely at a dental laboratory of their own choosing, monitored by a third-party remote proctor, MonitorEDU, rather than at an NBC-run facility.
Keeping the CDT current: recertification and continuing education
A CDT renews on an annual cycle, and each renewal requires 12 hours of continuing education, split three ways: 1 hour of Regulatory Standards, 6 hours of Scientific content, and 5 hours from any combination of eligible categories.
At least 3 of the 6 scientific hours must come from NBC-approved courses, which include courses carrying ADA CERP or AGD PACE approval.
The NBC's published materials don't list a renewal fee — this article doesn't state one, and you shouldn't assume it's free.
Confirm the current renewal fee directly with the NBC when you're up for recertification.
What isn't published — and what this article won't guess
Other NBC credentials you may see referenced
The NBC also administers a laboratory-level certification called CDL and a separate RG (Recognized Graduate) exam, both distinct from the individual CDT credential covered here.
This article hasn't independently verified their requirements, so it names them only as programs that exist rather than detailing them — the RG path specifically is covered where it matters most, as an accelerant inside the CDT timeline, in how to become a dental lab technician.
Sourced from the National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (nbccert.org), current as of the date above. NBC exam formats, fees, and requirements change over time — verify current details directly with the NBC before applying or budgeting for the exams.