Dentist Licensure Requirements in Arkansas

The ADA lists two accepted clinical examination pathways for Arkansas: the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) examination as administered by CDCA-WREB-CITA, and the combined CRDTS+SRTA exam.

Clinical examination scores are valid for five years from the date of successful passage, and the exam's clinical patient-based component must be administered by the testing agency itself.

Effective January 1, 2020, Arkansas only accepts clinical dental examinations that include, at minimum, a restorative clinical section, a manikin prosthetic section, a manikin endodontic section with posterior and interior access, a treatment-planning section, and a periodontal section.

Section 17-82-303 gives the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners exclusive jurisdiction over who may practice dentistry in the state and requires it to conduct at least two written-and-clinical examination cycles a year, scheduled after the fall and spring dental-school semesters.

Section 17-82-304 requires an applicant to be at least 21 years old, of good moral character, and a graduate of an ADA/CODA-accredited dental school with a DDS or DMD (an alternate pathway for foreign-trained graduates serving a one-year provisional license existed but expired at the close of the Arkansas General Assembly's 2005 regular session).

Rules and Regulations Article VIII adds the application mechanics: a completed application with a recent photo, an official transcript sent directly from the dental school, passage of the National Board Dental Examination at a minimum of 75% on each segment, passage of a clinical examination — Board-administered or from an accepted regional testing agency — at a minimum of 75% on each segment, and current Basic Life Support CPR certification.

Article XXIII lets an applicant petition the Board in advance for a determination of whether a criminal record would disqualify them from licensure, with a waiver available based on factors such as the age at the offense, time elapsed since it, and subsequent work and character references.

Section 17-82-308 lets a dentist who has practiced continuously for at least five years under a license from another state, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, or Canada apply for an Arkansas license by credentials, provided that jurisdiction's standard of proficiency at least equals Arkansas's.

Licensure by credentials under Rules and Regulations Article IX still requires proof of passing a clinical licensure examination — results sent directly to the Board by the state or regional testing agency that administered it — plus a DDS/DMD from a CODA-accredited school, verification forms from every state board where the applicant has ever held a license (current or not), at least 1,000 clinical hours per year for the two years immediately before applying, character-reference letters from two locally practicing dentists, DEA clearance and a National Practitioner Data Bank inquiry, current CPR certification, CE credits at least equal to Arkansas's two-year requirement, and a passing score of at least 75% on the Arkansas Jurisprudence exam plus a personal interview before the Board.

Article IX also lets a dentist licensed in good standing elsewhere practice in Arkansas for up to four consecutive days a year for an employment interview, after giving the Board at least 14 days' notice that includes the supervising Arkansas dentist, the interview dates and location, a copy of the applicant's out-of-state license, proof of malpractice coverage, and a letter from the home-state board confirming the applicant is in good standing.

Section 17-82-305 lets a licensed dentist apply to the Board for a specialist certificate after meeting American Dental Association Council on Dental Education specialty requirements or the Board's own rules, then sitting for an oral and/or written specialty examination and paying a fee; a dentist already limiting their practice to a specialty and holding out as a specialist as of February 21, 1969 is grandfathered in without examination.

Rules and Regulations Article VII lets the Board certify, without examination, a currently licensed Arkansas dentist who has graduated from an ADA-recognized specialty program, is board-certified in that specialty by an ADA-recognized American Board, and has practiced that specialty continuously for five or more years; once certified, a specialist must limit their practice to the announced specialty except in an emergency.

The recognized specialties are dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics.

Rules and Regulations Article V bars false or misleading advertising — including unsubstantiated claims of superiority or fee advertisements that omit a required disclaimer about additional fees — and its paragraph H requires that any advertisement referencing a dentist's services state either "general practice"/"general dentistry" or the ADA-recognized specialty the dentist actually holds, immediately following the dentist's name and degree.

Dentist licenses run on a two-year cycle and must be renewed by January 1 of even-numbered years, with the Board mailing renewal forms the preceding December and setting the renewal fee; failing to renew within 30 days of that date forfeits the license.

A forfeited license can be relicensed by applying, paying accrued fees plus a $200 penalty, and showing ethical, compliant conduct since forfeiture, but relicensing more than two years after the license ought first to have been renewed also requires reexamination limited to clinical skills.

A licensee who becomes a nonresident of Arkansas keeps the license active by paying the same renewal fee as residents, while ceasing practice anywhere for two years forfeits the license outright and requires clinical-only reexamination to resume practice.

Rules and Regulations Article XIV sets the CE requirement itself: 50 CEUs every two-year reporting period for dentists (one CEU equals a minimum of 50 minutes), including at least one CE hour on infection control each period; full-time enrollment in a dental or dental hygiene related program — graduate study, an internship, or a residency — satisfies the requirement for that period if the Board is notified, and every renewal must also include a current Healthcare Provider CPR card.