Arkansas Board of Dentistry

The Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners (ASBDE) was created by Act 144 of 1887 and has been in continuous existence since that time, making it one of the state's oldest professional licensing boards. Board operations are currently governed by Act 14 of 1955, the Arkansas Dental Practice Act (Arkansas Code § 17-82-101 et seq.), most recently reprinted in May 2025. The Board operates under the umbrella of the Arkansas Department of Health.

The Board is composed of six practicing dentists, one practicing dental hygienist, and two consumer representatives — one of whom must represent the state's senior citizens. Members are appointed by the Governor for five-year terms, and officers (a president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer) are elected annually at a regular meeting held between May 16 and July 15 of each year, per the Board's rules (17 CAR § 115-106).

Current Board Members

• Cara Jones, DDS — President (Little Rock)
• Jeffrey Wisener, DDS — Vice President (Rogers)
• Allen Williams, DDS — Secretary/Treasurer (Scott)
• Robert Carlisle, DDS (Bentonville)
• David Keith Jones, DDS (Pine Bluff)
• Brandon Kitchens, DDS (Little Rock)
• Marcia Cook (Sherwood)

The Board meets eight or more times per year and conducts disciplinary hearings in conjunction with those meetings, which are open to the public. The Board regulates the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting by examining applicants for competency and issuing licenses and permits to candidates who meet state and Board requirements, and it disciplines licensees and permit holders for violations of the Dental Practice Act, the Dental Corporation Act, or the Board's Rules and Regulations.

The Board is entirely self-supporting — application fees, renewal fees, permit fees, and disciplinary fines fund all Board operations, with no state general-fund appropriation. More than 5,000 individuals hold a current license or permit issued by the Board.

The Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners issues the following license and permit types:

• Dentist license — by examination or by credentials; Arkansas specialty licenses are available to general dentists with post-graduate training
• Dental Hygienist license — by examination or by credentials
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) expanded-duties permit — for dental radiography, coronal polishing, nitrous oxide analgesia administration/monitoring, and sedation monitoring
• Sedation and anesthesia permits — Minimal, Moderate, and Deep/General Sedation permits for dentists, plus corresponding facility permits
• Local anesthesia permit — for dental hygienists with qualifying training
• Collaborative care permit — for hygienists and dentists, requiring prior approval from the Arkansas Department of Health's Office of Oral Health
• Mobile dental facility permit
• Dental corporation / LLC registration
• Temporary charitable dental license

Under Arkansas Code § 17-82-102, "practicing dentistry" means the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment — by nonsurgical, surgical, or related procedures — of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area, and adjacent structures. Under A.C.A. § 17-82-1022, the practice of dental hygiene means the assessment, prevention, and treatment of oral disease by a licensed hygienist under a dentist's supervision, including removal of supragingival and subgingival deposits and any other services the Board authorizes by regulation.

Arkansas is a member of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact under Act 395 of 2025 (SB111), allowing dentists and hygienists licensed in other participating states to obtain a Compact Privilege to practice in Arkansas without a separate state license. See the license application section below for details.

Arkansas dental and dental hygiene applicants apply through one of two tracks, depending on how long they have held an out-of-state license.

Licensure by examination (licensed fewer than 5 years)

Available to dentists and hygienists who have been licensed and practicing for less than five years and wish to practice in Arkansas. Requirements include:

• A completed Board application with a photo taken within the last six months ($8 fee for dentists, $5 for hygienists)
• Graduation from a dental or dental hygiene school accredited by the ADA's Commission on Dental Accreditation, with an official transcript sent directly from the school to the Board
• Successful completion of the National Board Examination administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE)
• A passing clinical examination score from SRTA, WREB, CDCA, CITA, or CRDTS, valid for five years from the date passed. Effective January 1, 2020, dentist clinical exams must include a live-patient restorative section, manikin prosthetic and endodontic sections, treatment planning, and a periodontal section
• Passage of the Arkansas Jurisprudence Examination — an open-book exam on the Dental Practice Act, Dental Corporation Act, and Board Rules & Regulations, emailed to applicants after the Board receives their application and fee
• Current Healthcare Provider-level CPR certification (the Board does not accept online CPR)
• A criminal background check, required of every applicant since July 1, 2011
• Official license verification sent directly from every state where the applicant holds or has held a license

Licensure by credentials (licensed 5+ years)

Available to dentists and hygienists who have held an active license and practiced continuously — a minimum of 1,000 clinical hours per year for the two calendar years immediately before applying — for at least five years. In addition to the requirements above ($50 fee for dentists, $18 for hygienists), applicants must submit:

• Two letters of recommendation from licensed dentists practicing in the same locale, attesting to the applicant's character, standing, and ability
• A letter from the applicant's state or local Dental Association Peer Review Committee, if one exists

Hygienists applying by credentials must also appear before the Board in person at a regular meeting for an interview before the Board approves or denies the application.

Arkansas specialty licensure

Dentists with post-graduate specialty training must first hold a general dentist license, then submit the Arkansas Specialty Application with a copy of their specialty certificate or diploma and a $15 application fee, and arrange specialty testing through the Board.

For questions about an application, contact the Board at 501-682-2085 or asbde@arkansas.gov.

Arkansas dental licensees must complete continuing education under Article XIV of the Board's Rules and Regulations as a condition of renewing an active license. Requirements are set by license type and tracked over a two-year reporting period.

CE hours by license type

• At least 1 CE hour every 2-year reporting period must be on the subject of infection control (dentists and hygienists)
• One continuing education unit (CEU) equals a minimum of 50 minutes of instruction; a half-hour credit equals 25 minutes
• Each reporting period covers two full calendar years, beginning on an even-numbered year
• New licensees begin accruing their CE requirement on January 1 of the year following licensure, prorated for a partial period
• Only courses directly related to patient care or practice management qualify — money management, investment, and professional-association business meetings do not count
• Home study courses count if they include a post-test and a certificate of completion
• CPR recertification counts hour-for-hour toward the total
• CE hours earned beyond the requirement do not carry forward to the next reporting period

CE hours are entered directly through the Board's online portal at cecapture.statesolutions.us. Licensees who present CE courses, publish papers, or teach in a CODA-accredited program can also earn CE credit for that work under Article XIV.

The Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners, by rule and regulation, prescribes the acts, services, procedures, and practices that define the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting.

• Dentists — under A.C.A. § 17-82-102, full evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area, and adjacent structures, including administration of anesthetics in connection with those services
• Dental Hygienists — under A.C.A. § 17-82-1022, assessment, prevention, and treatment of oral disease under a dentist's supervision, including removal of supragingival and subgingival deposits and any other Board-authorized services; may hold local anesthesia or collaborative care permits with qualifying training
• Registered Dental Assistants — supervised chairside support; those holding a Board expanded-duties permit under Article XVII of the Dental Practice Act (A.C.A. §§ 17-82-401 to -403) may also perform dental radiography, coronal polishing, nitrous oxide/oxygen analgesia administration and monitoring, and — with additional certification — sedation monitoring for patients under deep sedation or general anesthesia

Performing an expanded duty without the corresponding Board permit is a violation of the Dental Practice Act. Dentists who wish to administer general anesthesia or conscious sedation in their offices must hold the corresponding Board sedation permit and facility permit, and must maintain emergency equipment, medications, and CPR-certified staff appropriate to the level of sedation used.

If you have a complaint concerning patient care by an Arkansas-licensed dentist, hygienist, or dental assistant, the Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners accepts complaints through the online form on its Complaint & Feedback page at healthy.arkansas.gov.

Alternatives to filing a formal complaint

• Discuss the issue directly with the dentist
• Small claims court, for monetary disputes
• Mediation through the Arkansas State Dental Association's Peer Mediation Committee (501-834-7650)
• Contact the Better Business Bureau

What to expect when filing

By submitting a complaint, you authorize the Board to obtain your dental records to investigate the matter, and you authorize the practitioner you are complaining against to release your health care information to the Board. The information in your complaint is shared with the practitioner, and your complaint may be referred to other agencies when appropriate. The Board investigates complaints involving potential violations of the Dental Practice Act, the Dental Corporation Act, or the Board's Rules and Regulations.

Disciplinary hearings are conducted under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act in conjunction with the Board's regular meetings, which are held eight or more times a year and are open to the public. Meeting agendas and minutes are posted on the Board's page as they become available.

License status for Arkansas dental professionals can be searched through the Board's verification portal at search.statesolutions.us. Enter at least one of the following: license number, last name, city, or zip code. The portal is maintained by McMan State Solutions and is endorsed by the Board as its primary source for license verification, with data supplied and maintained by Board staff on an ongoing basis.

The Arkansas State Board of Dental Examiners holds statutory authority (A.C.A. § 17-82-316) to revoke or suspend any license or permit it has issued, place a licensee or permittee on probation, impose fines, or apply a combination of these sanctions for violations of the Dental Practice Act, the Dental Corporation Act, or the Board's Rules and Regulations. Disciplinary hearings are conducted under the Arkansas Administrative Procedure Act in conjunction with the Board's regular meetings, held eight or more times per year.