Dentist Licensure Requirements in New York

Beginning January 1, 2007, every applicant for initial licensure must complete an approved, clinically based dental residency program of at least one year's duration.

A clinical (practical) examination such as NERB or CDCA is no longer accepted for initial licensure for applications submitted after December 31, 2006 — the residency has replaced it as the practical component of licensure.

Section 6604 sets eight requirements for a New York dental license: a filed application; a doctoral degree in dentistry per the commissioner's regulations; completion of a clinically based postdoctoral general practice or specialty residency program of at least one year (with a formal outcome assessment), in a hospital or dental facility accredited for teaching purposes; a passing score on a written examination; a minimum age of 21; U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency (with a possible three-year waiver, extendable up to six years, to practice in a designated dental health professions shortage area while pursuing status); good moral character; and fees of $220 for exam admission and an initial license, $115 per reexamination, $135 for an initial license not requiring exam admission, and $210 per triennial registration.

Section 61.1 requires at least 60 semester hours of pre-professional education (general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology or zoology, and physics) plus a four-academic-year program of dental education from a school registered by the department or accredited by an acceptable accrediting organization — or an equivalent foreign dental degree, with an added two years of study in a registered or accredited dental school program if the foreign school itself was unregistered and unaccredited.

Section 61.2 splits the written examination by application date: applicants who completed their education requirements and applied on or before December 31, 2006 take a three-part exam, with National Board Dental Examinations grades acceptable for Parts I and II and a clinical Part III administered by the Northeast Regional Board of Dental Examiners or another acceptable clinical testing agency — or, under section 6604(4), a qualifying residency under section 61.18 in place of Part III.

All other applicants take a two-part exam covering only Parts I and II.

Every subject of every part requires a passing score of 75.0; a candidate who fails a subject of Part III retains credit for the subjects already passed and is reexamined only in the subjects still failed, but before a third administration of Part III the candidate must complete 40 clock hours of instruction in each subject failed twice, and a candidate who still has not passed every subject after three administrations must retake the entire Part at a later administration.

To have a dental license issued by another U.S. jurisdiction or a Canadian province endorsed in New York, an applicant must meet all requirements of section 59.6 and show lawful, reputable practice of dentistry for not less than eight months during the two years immediately preceding the application.

Section 59.6 requires the applicant to meet Education Law section 6506(6), to have at least two years of satisfactory professional experience following initial licensure (unless a different period is set by regulation for the profession), and to not have previously failed a New York licensing exam without later passing a comparable licensing exam.

A dentist commits unprofessional conduct by claiming professional superiority or advertising a specialty unless they have completed Board of Regents-approved specialty training (or the demonstrable substantial equivalent), or have completed all requirements for specialty qualification except an examination, in which case they may advertise the additional training completed.

The phrase "practice limited to" may be used only by dentists with satisfactory specialty training or those who restricted their practice to a dental specialty before January 1, 1979.

Unprofessional conduct also includes failing to honor a signed agreement to practice in a state-designated dentist shortage area, or the associated repayment obligation for education costs or awards.

Licensed dentists register triennially and, for registration periods beginning on or after July 1, 2008, must complete at least 60 hours of formal continuing education every three years, with no more than 18 of those hours from self-instructional coursework.

A one-time, three-hour course in dental jurisprudence and ethics is required within the applicable registration period, and licensees must keep continuing-education records for at least six years.

Dentists are exempt from the requirement for the triennial period in which they are first licensed (unless first licensed by endorsement of another jurisdiction's license), and a licensee not engaged in public practice may file a statement claiming exemption; a $45 mandatory continuing education fee is due each triennial period, and approved sponsors pay a $900 application or renewal fee.