Alaska Board of Dentistry

The Alaska Board of Dental Examiners is staffed by the Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing (CBPL), part of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The board consists of nine members appointed by the Governor: six licensed dentists and two dental hygienists who have each practiced in Alaska for at least five years immediately preceding their appointment, and one public member. Members serve staggered four-year terms and continue serving until replaced or they resign.

The board adopts regulations under 12 AAC 28 to carry out the laws governing the practice of dentistry (AS 08.36) and dental hygiene (AS 08.32) in Alaska. It makes final licensing decisions and takes disciplinary action against licensees who violate those laws. The board meets four times a year and offers a public comment period at each meeting; agendas and minutes are posted to the board's website.

The board's mission is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of Alaskans by ensuring that dental practitioners possess and maintain a level of skill and knowledge necessary to provide safe, competent, professional services to patients, and to protect the public from dental practitioners who pose a risk to the public's health, safety, and welfare.

The Alaska Board of Dental Examiners licenses and certifies practitioners in three categories:

• Dentists — License by Examination Level III, License by Examination Level II, License by Credentials, and specialty licenses in endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial pathology, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, dental public health, dental anesthesiology, oral medicine, and orofacial pain. The board also issues permits to administer moderate/minimal sedation or deep sedation/general anesthesia, dentist courtesy licenses, and temporary dental permits.
• Dental Hygienists — License by Examination Level III, License by Examination Level II, License by Credentials, an Advanced Practice Permit, certificates to administer local anesthetic agents (by examination or by experience), a Restorative Function Endorsement, a Dental Hygiene Collaborative Agreement, courtesy licenses, and Nitrous Oxide Certification.
• Dental Assistants — Coronal Polishing Certification and Restorative Function Certification.

Practitioners who administer sedation must follow the American Dental Association's Guidelines for the Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dentists and, for pediatric patients, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's sedation monitoring guideline. Actively licensed practitioners who hold a DEA registration number valid in any state or practice location must register with Alaska's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) at pdmp.alaska.gov.

Alaska dental and dental hygiene licenses are issued along three application tracks, based on how long the applicant has already been licensed elsewhere:

• Examination Level III — for applicants licensed elsewhere 0–90 days
• Examination Level II — for applicants licensed elsewhere 90 days to 5 years
• Credentials — for applicants licensed elsewhere more than 5 years; the board conducts a thorough evaluation of the applicant's education, training, and work history

All three dentist tracks require proof of passing the National Board Dental Examination (Part I and II, or the Integrated exam) and a WREB or equivalent regional clinical exam taken within the five years before applying. All three dental hygiene tracks require the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a WREB or equivalent clinical exam.

Jurisprudence examination

Every applicant must pass a written Alaska jurisprudence examination with a score of at least 70 percent — authorized under AS 08.36.110 for dentists and AS 08.32.014 for dental hygienists. The board sends the exam after its initial review of the application and supporting documents.

Application fees

Applications are filed online through a MyAlaska account via the MY LICENSE self-service portal, or on paper using the forms listed on the board's Applications & Forms page. Applications are reviewed in order of receipt, and an application is considered abandoned — and denied without prejudice — if 12 months pass without correspondence from the applicant; the application fee is not refunded in that case.

Out-of-state and reciprocity applicants

Alaska does not have a blanket reciprocity agreement; instead, dentists and hygienists licensed more than five years in another jurisdiction apply through the License by Credentials track described above. Dentists and hygienists who only need to practice in Alaska temporarily (for example, volunteer or military-spouse practitioners) may instead apply for a Courtesy License or, for active-duty military spouses with orders to Alaska, a temporary license through the Military & Spouse Licensing program.

Continuing competency requirements are set out in 12 AAC 28.400–.420 and certified as part of each biennial renewal application.

CE hours by license type

• A current CPR certification is required for every renewal, meeting AS 08.36.070 and 12 AAC 28.920 — the course may not be taken entirely online
• Licensees with an active DEA registration must complete 2 hours in pain management and opioid use/addiction during the renewal period, verified only if selected for audit
• Licenses initially issued on or after March 1 two years before renewal are not required to show CE for that first renewal, but are subject to the full requirement afterward

The board approves continuing education courses and providers on request, including separate approval tracks for coronal polishing, nitrous oxide, and restorative function courses. The division randomly audits a percentage of renewals each cycle; licensees selected must submit documentation proving they met the continuing competency requirements as certified on their renewal, and must keep that documentation for at least four years (12 AAC 02.960).

Alaska regulates three dental credential types, each with its own scope of practice defined by statute and 12 AAC 28:

• Dentists — full diagnosis and treatment of oral conditions under AS 08.36, including any board-approved specialty and sedation/anesthesia permits held
• Dental Hygienists — preventive and clinical services under a closed list of authorized procedures at AS 08.32.110(a)(1)–(2), which may expand with an Advanced Practice Permit, local anesthetic certification, restorative function endorsement, or a collaborative agreement with a supervising dentist
• Dental Assistants — supervised clinical support, with optional coronal polishing and restorative function certifications

The board has advised that assessing and treating orofacial myofunctional disorders is within the scope of practice of both dentists and dental hygienists, provided the licensee completes advanced training before treating patients and collaborates with other licensed healthcare professionals as needed.

Complaints against Alaska dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants are handled by CBPL's Investigations Unit.

Step 1: Confirm the complaint is within CBPL's jurisdiction

Before filing, use the Professional License Search tool to confirm the person is licensed, and review the Complaint FAQs page to make sure the issue — such as care quality, licensing violations, or unlicensed practice — falls within the Investigations Unit's authority rather than another agency's (for example, billing disputes may fall to consumer protection or civil court).

Step 2: Review the investigative process

The division publishes an Investigation Process explanation and a Board or Commission License Action Options flowchart describing what happens after a complaint is filed and the disciplinary actions the board can impose.

Step 3: Submit the complaint

Complete the Request for Contact Form and email it to Investigations@Alaska.Gov, or call the Investigations Section directly at (907) 269-8124 before submitting to confirm the office can assist. The Investigations Section can also be reached by mail at 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1500, Anchorage, AK 99501-3567.

Step 4: Track the outcome

Board meeting agendas and minutes, where complaint-related board actions are discussed, are posted to the Board Meeting Minutes page, and any resulting discipline is later reflected on the license's public record.

License status and disciplinary history for Alaska dental professionals can be searched free of charge through CBPL's Professional License Search tool at commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/search/professional. Search by practitioner name or license number; the tool returns current license status, and disciplinary actions are noted directly on the license detail page along with a downloadable copy of the action, when available. Effective November 22, 2022, this tool provides primary source verification directly — no separate verification request or fee is required.

CBPL also publishes a standalone Disciplinary Action Reports archive, listing every professional license and business endorsement action across the division on a quarterly basis back to 2017. New actions can take up to 60 days to appear after the license action is finalized.