Dentist Licensure Requirements in South Carolina

Section 40-15-140 requires every dental applicant to pass a board-administered examination and to submit evidence of graduation from a Commission-accredited dental college, satisfactory moral character, and certification that they have not violated the Dental Practice Act under any prior license.

Applications are due at least 45 days before the exam date; the exam may be given orally, in writing, by practical demonstration, or any combination the board chooses, and dental examinations are held annually.

South Carolina Code of Regulations 39-1 adds specifics: applicants must be at least 21 years old, submit satisfactory evidence of graduation from a dental college accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Dental and Dental Auxiliary Educational Programs of the American Dental Association, and pay a board-set fee; the practical exam requires the applicant to furnish their own patient, and the patient's selection and final treatment count toward the grade.

The board may disqualify an applicant who uses or attempts to use unfair assistance during the exam.

Regulation 39-4 requires every general-dentistry exam applicant to have passed the National Board (Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations).

Regulation 39-4.1.A allows a second and third examination attempt upon payment of the regular fee; under 39-4.1.B, an applicant who has not met the board's criteria after three attempts may not retake the exam except by special board permission, which requires the applicant to petition the board and either complete at least one year of additional ADA-approved dental education or explain in detail the special or compelling factors the applicant wants the board to consider.

Regulation 39-1.A separately states that the board has no reciprocal licensure arrangement with any other jurisdiction, though Sections 40-15-270 and 40-15-275, covered below, do provide statutory pathways for out-of-state dentists.

Section 40-15-270 lets the board grant licenses without further examination to dentists licensed in other states who are members of a regional testing service the board also belongs to, and lets the board enter reciprocal agreements with other states.

Section 40-15-275 sets a fuller license-by-credentials pathway: the applicant must hold a current, unrestricted license from another state or U.S. territory; must have passed a board-approved state or regional clinical board exam and a board-approved jurisprudence exam on South Carolina dental law and regulations, administered in English; must have actively practiced dentistry (a minimum of 1,200 hours a year) for at least five years immediately before applying; must have completed 70 hours of continuing education over the past five years; must have no pending or final disciplinary action, felony conviction, or other disqualifying criminal conviction; and must sign releases for a National Practitioner Data Bank check and DEA registration verification, and agree to substance-abuse testing and a fitness-to-practice review if the board requests them.

A license issued by credentials is automatically revoked if the licensee has not established an active South Carolina practice within two years of receiving it.

A dentist must hold a special license from the board before advertising or holding out as limiting their practice to, or specializing in, an ADA-recognized specialty, and must already be licensed to practice general dentistry in South Carolina before applying for one.

Specialty examinations are theoretical and practical, held annually or as the board determines, and a diplomate of an ADA-recognized national certifying board may be granted a specialty license without examination.

Advisory Opinion 5.H allows a dentist to announce a specialty they are educationally qualified for under ADA or jurisdiction standards, provided they devote a sufficient portion of their practice to it.

Advisory Opinions 5.H.2 and 5.I.1 allow announcing a non-specialty credential only if the credentialing body requires a formal advanced-education program of at least 12 months, relevant training and experience, and a psychometrically based exam, and the announcement discloses that the credential is not an ADA-recognized specialty; 5.I.1 additionally requires a general dentist making such an announcement to disclose that they are a general dentist.

All dentists must complete a minimum of 14 continuing education hours per year, or 28 hours over the two-year renewal cycle, to be eligible for relicensure; dentists licensed by examination are exempt for their first relicensure period.

At least one hour per cycle must cover sterilization and infection control, and as part of that same biennial requirement, a dentist authorized to prescribe Schedule II, III or IV controlled substances must complete at least two hours every two years on prescribing and monitoring those substances.

At least 50% of required hours must come from live, in-person attendance (interactive webinars count as live); the rest may be earned through online seminars.

All dentists must complete or renew CPR/BLS certification every two years, capped at 4 CE hours for the course itself, and up to 25% of required hours may come from teaching a CODA-approved dental course or an approved CE seminar.

Regulation 39-19 lets the board issue a temporary restricted license, without exam or fee, for up to seven days so a dentist licensed in another state can earn live-patient CE credits in South Carolina, subject to conditions including treating only low-income patients, malpractice insurance coverage, and supervision by a South Carolina-licensed instructor.