How to Become a Licensed Dentist
NOTE: Effective April 1, 2026, the Dental Licensing Unit will transition to email–only communication for all correspondence related to dental application statuses. Hard–copy letters will no longer be mailed. All dental application status updates will be sent to the email address listed in your application.
Please ensure you are checking your spam or junk folder regularly to avoid missing important messages.
- Application Based on Passing the WREB Examination – Licensure by WREB
- Application Based on Passing the ADEX Examination – Licensure by ADEX
- Application for Licensure by Credential
- Application for Licensure Based on Completion of a Residency Program – Licensure by Residency
NOTICE: After an application is reviewed and deemed complete, applicants will receive an email with instructions on issuance of the license number. Payment of a pro–rated fee will be required at the time of license issuance and the fee amount will be determined by the applicant's date of birth.
- *If an applicant has previously held a dental license in California, please see Cancelled License for Failure to Renew.
Dentist Permits Available in California
- Additional Office Permit (AO)
- Registered Continuing Education Provider, Board–Approved
- Elective Facial Cosmetic Surgery Permit (EFCS)
- Extramural Dental Facility (EMF)
- Fictitious Name Permit (FNP)
- General Anesthesia Permit (GA)
- Medical General Anesthesia Permit (MGA)
- Mobile Dental Clinic Permit (MDC)
- Moderate Sedation Permit (MS)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Permit (OMS)
- Oral Conscious Sedation Certificate (OCS) – for sedation of adult patients
- Pediatric Minimal Sedation Permit (PMS)
- Special Permit (SP) – for Faculty at a California Dental School
Application Processing Time Frame
Once the Board receives and deposits the application payment, applications are processed in the date order they are received. The Board’s goal is to process completed applications within 30 days of receipt.
However, applications that are missing required information are considered deficient. Deficient applications will result in longer processing times. Applicants with deficiencies will be notified by email requesting the additional information needed, and all documents submitted in response to the deficiency requests are also processed in the date order received.
Note: It is important to review the application requirements prior to submission to avoid any delays in your application process.
List of California–Approved Dental Schools
Below is a current listing of California dental schools accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association for Predoctoral (DDS/DMD) Dental Education Programs:
California
- Loma Linda University School of Dentistry
- University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry
- Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC
- Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine
- University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry
- University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
- California Northstate University, College of Dental Medicine
For a complete listing of all dental schools accredited by CODA, please visit www.ada.org/en/coda.
Licensure Information for Foreign Trained Dentists
An applicant who was issued a dental diploma from a foreign dental school that was not, at the time of the applicant’s graduation from the school, approved by the Board, is not eligible for licensure until the applicant has successfully completed a minimum of two academic years of education at a dental college in the U.S. approved by the Board and has been issued a DMD or DDS degree or the equivalent.
Authority: Business and Professions Code (BPC) sections 1628, subdivisions (a)–(f); section 1636.4; and section 1636.5. California Code of Regulations (CCR), title 16, sections 1024 et seq.
After attending a 2–year international studies program at a CODA– or Board–approved dental school in general dentistry and graduating with a DMD/DDS degree, foreign trained dentists can apply for a California dentist license through one of two pathways: Licensure by ADEX or Licensure by Residency.
Foreign trained dentists who have obtained an active and unrestricted license in another state of the U.S., and qualify through one of the available pathways under Licensure by Credential, can apply for a California dentist license under this pathway.