Dentist Licensure Requirements in Alaska

The ADA lists the ADEX examination (administered by CDCA-WREB-CITA) and CRDTS+SRTA as accepted clinical exams for Alaska, or successful completion of a PGY-1 program approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, plus 20 hours of continuous clinical practice per week for the five years immediately preceding application (dental school counts as clinical practice).

The accepted exam must include a constructive-response or OSCE/DLOSCE component covering diagnosis and treatment planning, periodontics, restorative dentistry, oral pathology, medical considerations, prescription writing and prosthodontics; endodontics testing on a mannequin or live patient; prosthetics testing on a mannequin or live patient; and an operative exam with one class II posterior alloy or composite procedure plus one additional operative procedure.

Section 08.36.100 requires a license to practice dentistry in Alaska, and Section 08.36.110 requires applicants to certify graduation from a board-approved dental school and passing of a board-approved written examination; a license history free of revocation, suspension or voluntary surrender; no adverse or unresolved disciplinary proceeding within the preceding five years, and no unresolved or adverse proceeding tied to criminal or fraudulent activity, malpractice or negligent care at any time; no disqualifying NPDB or AADB Clearinghouse report, impairment, or conviction; and, unless the applicant has no active DEA registration, education in pain management and opioid use and addiction in the two years preceding application — set at not less than two hours by 12 AAC 28.940(b)(10).

Applicants must also pass whatever written, clinical and other examinations the board requires, and may be interviewed in person by the board, with the interview recorded.

Administrative rule 12 AAC 28.940 sets out the paperwork for a license by examination — a notarized application, fees, CPR certification, a National Board Dental Examination certificate, an official transcript, and a copy of the qualifying clinical exam or residency certificate described above — and requires the applicant to pass Alaska's written jurisprudence examination with a score of at least 70 percent.

Applicants who have held a license in another jurisdiction, or who have ever been licensed abroad, must also submit DEA registration status and complete disciplinary history from every jurisdiction where they hold or have held a license.

Section 08.36.234 lets the board waive the examination requirement and issue a license by credentials to an applicant who meets Section 08.36.110's qualifications, submits proof of continued competence, pays the fee, and either holds an active dental license issued after thorough examination by another U.S. state or territory board, or has passed a board-specified examination.

Rule 12 AAC 28.951 lists the credentials-application paperwork: a notarized application, fees, a records-release authorization, a license history listing every jurisdiction the applicant holds or has held a license in, DEA registration status, CPR certification, a National Board Dental Examination certificate, an impairment affidavit, an ethics statement, and — for applicants who have worked for a federal agency or held any other license — verification of disciplinary history from each jurisdiction and agency, plus an official transcript.

A credentials applicant must also pass Alaska's jurisprudence examination with a score of at least 70 percent and complete a personal interview with the board, which must be recorded.

A licensed dentist may not represent to the public, through advertising, that they are a specialist in a branch of dentistry unless they hold a specialist license in that branch.

To qualify for a specialist license, a dentist must already hold a general license under Sec. 08.36.110 or 08.36.234 and meet additional board-established qualifications, which the board bases on what a nationally recognized certifying entity requires for specialty certification; a specialist license limits the dentist's practice to that branch.

Administrative rule 12 AAC 28.959 requires proof of a CODA-accredited post-doctoral specialty residency recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards, and lists the board-recognized specialty branches: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial pathology, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, dental public health, dental anesthesiology, oral medicine, and orofacial pain.

A general dentist who has not obtained a specialist license may still advertise fellowships, other earned credentials, or areas of focus in general dentistry, as long as the advertising avoids implying specialization and discloses that the dentist is a general dentist.

Section 08.36.250 requires the department to notify a licensee at least 60 days before their license expires and requires a renewal application, fee and evidence of continued professional competence; a dentist must report any legal action involving the quality of their professional services during the prior period, and a license lapses if the renewal fee goes unpaid, though the board may reinstate it without examination within two years of the missed payment upon proof of continued competence and payment of all fees and penalties owed.

Administrative rule 12 AAC 28.400 sets the renewal standard at 32 contact hours of continuing education plus current CPR certification, and — for a DEA-registered dentist — at least two hours of pain-management and opioid-use education; a first-time renewal under 12 AAC 28.405 only requires half that number of hours, prorated for each complete year licensed during the concluding period.

A contact hour is at least 50 minutes of instruction, and eligible course providers include the ADHA, the Academy of General Dentistry, the ADA, and board-approved dental or dental-hygiene colleges, universities, organizations or self-study programs; no more than four hours of CPR training, three hours of practice/risk-management courses, two hours from volunteer service, or eight hours of internet-based coursework in any 24-hour period may count toward the total.