Dentist Licensure Requirements in Kansas

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

Since January 1, 2023, every applicant must take and pass all sections of a patient-based or manikin-based clinical licensure exam, covering the Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE), Endodontic, Periodontic, Prosthodontic, and Restorative sections.

K.S.A. 65-1426 requires every applicant to be at least 21 years old, of good moral character, and a graduate of a dental school or college the board has approved as meeting standards equivalent to Commission on Dental Accreditation standards; the application must include the required fee and a signed photograph.

K.S.A. 65-1428 requires a theoretical and clinical examination administered by the board or an approved testing organization, covering subjects from pathology and radiology through anatomy and the laws of Kansas regulating the practice of dentistry, with results kept on file for at least two years.

K.S.A. 65-1429 gives an applicant who fails a section the right to retake it, with credit for passed sections carried only to the next exam, and requires remedial instruction before a third attempt; after a third failure the board may, at its discretion, deny the applicant another examination.

K.A.R. 71-1-9 separately requires every candidate for a Kansas dental or dental hygienist license to pass an exam on Kansas dental law.

K.S.A. 65-1434 lets the board issue a license without examination to a dentist who already holds a license in another state, provided the applicant meets the qualifications in subsection (b): passing a national board examination (or an equivalent accepted by the licensing state) and a clinical examination of equivalent merit to the one Kansas accepted when the applicant tested; holding an active license and engaging in the active practice of dentistry for at least five consecutive years immediately before applying; and having complied with the continuing education requirements of the state(s) where licensed and practiced, including CE equal to what a Kansas licensee would need for the 24 months before applying.

Each applicant must also submit a certificate from the licensing board of each state where they have practiced, confirming the license is in good standing, has never been suspended or revoked, and has not been the subject of a disciplinary proceeding or an unresolved complaint.

The board may direct the applicant to appear in person to answer questions about their qualifications, background, or practice.

K.S.A. 65-1427 bars a dentist from holding out as a specialist or limiting practice to a branch of dentistry without a board-issued certificate of qualification, and lets the board set additional standards and an examination for specialty certification.

K.A.R. 71-2-2 names the recognized branches — dental public health, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, and prosthodontics — and defines each.

K.A.R. 71-2-5 requires a Kansas dental license and a graduate program in the specialty from a board-approved program; a waiver of the Kansas specialty exam is available to a dentist who already holds an out-of-state specialty certificate plus five years of active practice in that specialty, or who is a diplomate of the relevant American specialty board.

K.A.R. 71-2-7 otherwise requires a transcript, a reference letter from a practicing dentist, and a passing score on a board-approved specialty exam, and K.A.R. 71-2-11 allows revocation or suspension of a specialist certificate on the same grounds as a dental license.

K.S.A. 65-1437 bars false, misleading, or unsubstantiated advertising, including claiming specialty status without the required certificate of qualification.

Under K.S.A. 65-1431, a Kansas dental license expires and is renewed on a biennial basis, with a renewal application and fee submitted by December 1 of the expiration year; a license not renewed by March 1 of the following year is automatically canceled, and renewal between February 1 and March 1 requires a penalty fee of up to $500.

K.A.R. 71-4-1 requires each dentist to submit evidence of at least 60 hours of continuing education completed in the 24 months before the license expires, including at least 2 hours in ethics, plus a current basic cardiac life support certificate; a dentist holding a specialist certificate must complete at least 40 of those 60 hours in courses related to the specialty.

K.A.R. 71-4-2 sets which courses qualify (colleges and universities, ADA/ADHA-affiliated organizations, local dental societies and study clubs, VA/military programs, and commercially sponsored courses), waives the requirement for full-time graduate students and for a licensee's first year after graduation, and caps credit earned from lecturing, authorship, or teaching.

Retired or disabled licensees may have fees and CE waived while inactive, and a licensee returning to practice follows a graduated CE schedule based on years away, ranging from 30 hours after one year to 100 hours after five or more.