Dentist Licensure Requirements in New Jersey

Section 45:6-3 lets the Board set and administer written and/or oral licensing examinations and requires every applicant to be at least 18, of good moral character, and to hold the underlying secondary and dental education, or a foreign dental diploma the Board recognizes; a graduate of an unapproved dental school must first complete at least two years of study at a Commission on Dental Accreditation-approved school.

Section 45:6-4 sets a $50 application fee, non-refundable except for illness or other good cause, and a $20 fee for a further examination.

N.J.A.C. 13:30-1.2(b) requires a certified transcript from a CODA-accredited dental school, ADEX results, National Board Dental Examination Parts I and II or the Integrated NBDE, a New Jersey Jurisprudence orientation certificate completed within six months of application, good-standing certification from every state or jurisdiction where the applicant holds a license, a criminal history background check, complete professional employment history, and the application fee.

A candidate who has passed ADEX but has not practiced as a licensed dentist for five years or more must retake the ADEX examination or complete a Board-approved refresher course with a post-course examination before applying, per N.J.A.C. 13:30-1.2(d).

Section 45:6-6 lets the Board, in its discretion, license an applicant without examination if the applicant is relocating to New Jersey from another state or a foreign country where they were licensed and have practiced dentistry continuously for at least five years immediately preceding the application, on presentation of proof and a certificate of competency and good moral character from the prior jurisdiction's licensing board, provided that jurisdiction extends the same recognition to New Jersey licensees; the fee is $50.

N.J.A.C. 13:30-1.2(e) requires evidence the applicant has actively practiced dentistry, which may include residency, in a single state or jurisdiction for at least five years before applying; a CODA-accredited dental degree transcript; National Board Dental Examination Parts I and II, or the Integrated NBDE; results of a clinical examination administered or recognized by another state or jurisdiction that is, or was at the time taken, comparable to the examination recognized by the North East Regional Board; a certification of completion of the online New Jersey Jurisprudence orientation, taken within six months of application; good-standing certification from every state or jurisdiction where the applicant holds a license; a criminal history background check; complete employment history; and the application fee plus the licensure-by-credentials fee.

The ADA's compilation prints §13:30-1.2(e) twice with a discrepancy between the copies: a second printing lists only National Board Dental Examination Parts I and II, with no Integrated NBDE alternative, and a New Jersey Jurisprudence examination taken within two years of application rather than the six-month online orientation.

Confirm the current national-board and jurisprudence requirements with the Board before applying.

A licensee who wants to announce a specialty must first obtain a permit from the Board, in one of nine listed areas: endodontics, oral or maxillofacial surgery, oral or maxillofacial radiology, oral pathology, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and public health.

The Board grants a permit to a dentist who is certified or eligible for certification by an ADA-recognized specialty board, or who has completed two or more years of post-doctoral education in that specialty at a program that was ADA Council on Dental Education-accredited or provisionally accredited at completion.

Section 13:30-6.2 separately sets detailed professional-advertising rules for all licensees, covering truthful and non-misleading content, required disclosure of "General Dentist" status or a granted specialty, disclosure rules for stated fees and discounts, and a three-year record-keeping requirement for advertisements.

The Board may issue a limited teaching certificate authorizing the holder to teach, demonstrate, and practice dentistry only on the premises of the dental school or clinical facility named in the certificate (with an exception for appearing as a clinician at ADA meetings); the certificate is renewable annually and expires automatically when the holder's dental-school employment ends.

No dental school in the state may employ more than 15 holders of limited teaching certificates at one time who graduated from a dental school not approved by the Board.

An applicant must submit a certified transcript verifying a dental degree, employment and professional history, two character references from licensed New Jersey dentists, and the dean's certification that the applicant is qualified to teach.

N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.1(a) requires all licensed dentists to certify completion of 40 hours of continuing dental education every two years to renew, including 10 mandatory hours, though a dentist initially licensed is not required to complete continuing education for that first registration and licensees in their first biennial period follow a pro-rated schedule.

The 10 mandatory hours are three hours of hands-on CPR/AED certification, three hours of pharmacology and internal medicine, two hours of infection control, one hour of professional ethics and New Jersey dental law, and one hour on prescription opioid drugs.

Credit categories are capped per biennial period: up to 40 hours from educational and scientific courses (within that, up to 20 hours of distance learning and up to 7 hours of practice management courses), up to 20 hours from papers, publications and scientific presentations, up to 10 hours from teaching or research appointments, and up to 8 hours from table clinics and scientific exhibits; up to 7 hours in excess of the 40-hour requirement may carry over to the next period.

Licenses renew every two years under N.J.A.C. 13:30-8.6; a licensee who does not submit a renewal application within 30 days of expiration has the license suspended without a hearing, and the Board may waive up to half of the required hours, other than the 10 mandatory hours, for a licensee who provides volunteer dental service to eligible persons or for reasons of hardship.