California Board of Dentistry

The Dental Board of California (DBC) is an independent licensing and enforcement unit within the Department of Consumer Affairs. It licenses and regulates dentists, Registered Dental Assistants (RDA), and Registered Dental Assistants in Extended Functions (RDAEF), and issues a wide range of facility and sedation permits. As of the Board's November 2025 newsletter, California has approximately 32,389 actively licensed dentists.

Under Business and Professions Code (BPC) § 1601.1, the Board is authorized for 15 members: eight practicing dentists (one of whom must be a member of a California dental college faculty and one of whom must practice in a nonprofit community clinic), two registered dental assistants, and five public members. Most members are appointed by the Governor; by statute, one public member is appointed by the Senate Rules Committee and one by the Speaker of the Assembly. Members serve staggered terms and the Board organizes itself into standing committees on examinations, enforcement, anesthesia, legislation and regulation, and other subjects.

The Board's mission is to protect and promote the health and safety of California dental consumers, and its stated vision is to be the leader in public protection, promotion of oral health, and access to quality care. Applications, renewals, and most fee payments are processed through BreEZe (breeze.ca.gov), the Department of Consumer Affairs' shared online licensing system. Effective January 2, 2025, BreEZe charges a 2.3% non–refundable credit card service fee on every online transaction.

The Dental Board of California issues the following primary license and permit categories, searchable on the DCA license lookup under "Dental Board of California":

• Dentist License (DDS) — full-scope general dental practice.
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) — California's licensed dental assistant credential, performing specified intraoral procedures under a dentist's supervision.
• Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions (RDAEF) — an additional credential allowing certain restorative and other clinical procedures beyond standard RDA scope.
• Orthodontic Assistant (OA) Permit and Dental Sedation Assistant (DSA) Permit — for dental assistants performing specified orthodontic or sedation-monitoring duties.
• Registered Continuing Education (CE) Provider Permit — for organizations approved to teach the Board's mandatory CE courses.

The Board also issues facility and sedation permits held by dentists and dental practices, including the Additional Office Permit, Fictitious Name Permit, Mobile Dental Clinic Permit, Elective Facial Cosmetic Surgery Permit, General Anesthesia (GA/MGA) Permit, Moderate Sedation (MS) Permit, Oral Conscious Sedation for Adults (OCS–A) Certificate, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) Permit, Pediatric Minimal Sedation (PMS) Permit, and the Special Permit for Faculty. Per the Board's November 2025 alert, Conscious Sedation (CS) permits are no longer issued or renewed — the Moderate Sedation permit has replaced them — and a pediatric endorsement of a GA or MGA permit is now required to administer or order deep sedation or general anesthesia for patients under age 7.

Unlicensed dental assistants are not licensed by the Board, which instead sets their permitted duties. Under SB 1453 (Ashby, Chapter 483, Statutes of 2024), effective January 1, 2025, unlicensed dental assistants must complete a Board-approved 8-hour infection control course before performing any basic supportive dental procedure involving potential exposure to blood, saliva, or other infectious material (BPC § 1750(c)); the employer is responsible for ensuring the course is completed.

Dental license applications, renewals, and permit requests are submitted through BreEZe at breeze.ca.gov, the Department of Consumer Affairs' shared online licensing system. First-time applicants must create a BreEZe account before accessing application materials.

Dentist licensure pathways

Dentists may qualify for a California license through several pathways, each with its own non–refundable application fee:

• Licensure by WREB examination — $400.00 application fee.
• Licensure by ADEX examination, Licensure by Residency, or Licensure by Portfolio — each with its own application requirements.
• Licensure by Credential (BPC § 1635.5) — $525.00 application fee, for dentists who hold an active, unrestricted license in another U.S. state, district, or territory that is not subject to pending discipline. Applicants must document at least 5,000 hours (or five years) of active clinical practice, full-time public-health practice, or full-time dental-school faculty practice in the preceding five years, and must not have failed a state, regional, or national licensure exam in the same period.

Dentistry Law and Ethics Examination

Applicants using the WREB, ADEX, Portfolio, or Residency pathways (and special-permit faculty applicants) must separately pass the California Dentistry Law and Ethics Examination, administered by PSI Services under contract with the Board (16 CCR § 1004):

• Non–refundable application fee: $125.00, paid to the Board
• A separate examination fee is paid directly to PSI at scheduling
• Once the Board approves eligibility, applicants have two years to pass the exam; a passing score is valid for two years
• Can be taken up to one year before dental school graduation

Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) and Orthodontic Assistant (OA) applications

RDA and OA applicants submit an application through BreEZe (or by mail with the paper form) along with a non–refundable application fee of $120.00, documentation of one of the Board's approved education, work-experience, or credentialing pathways to eligibility, and fingerprints. Eligible applicants must then pass the Registered Dental Assistant Combined Written and Law and Ethics Examination (for RDA) or the OA Permitholder Exam, both administered by PSI. There is no separate license-issuance fee beyond the application and examination fees.

Continuing education is required to renew an active license, and requirements differ by license type and by which of California's two dental boards issues the license. CE is not required for a licensee's very first renewal.

Dentist CE (Dental Board of California – 16 CCR §§ 1015–1017)

Dentists must complete 50 CE units every two years (30 units for dentists renewing in uncompensated-practice-only status), including four mandatory courses:

• A 2-unit Board-approved Infection Control course
• A 2-unit Board-approved California Dental Practice Act course
• Up to 4 units of a Basic Life Support (BLS) course, which must include a live, in-person skills practice session, a skills test, and a written exam — fully online BLS courses are not accepted
• A 2-unit Board-approved course on Responsibilities and Requirements of Prescribing Schedule II Opioid Drugs

No more than 50% of required units may be non-live/correspondence courses, and no more than 8 units may be applied per day. Licensees who hold more than one license or permit only need to meet the largest single requirement, not the sum of all of them. Permit-specific CE totals per two-year period: Elective Facial Cosmetic Surgery Permit and General Anesthesia Permit, 24 units; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Permit, 50 units; Moderate Sedation Permit, 15 units; Oral Conscious Sedation Permit and Pediatric Minimal Sedation Permit, 7 units; Special Permit (Faculty), 25 units.

RDA and RDAEF CE (Dental Board of California)

• 25 CE units every two years, including the same 2-unit Infection Control and 2-unit California Dental Practice Act mandatory courses, plus up to 4 units of BLS
• No more than 50% of units may be non-live/correspondence courses; no more than 8 units per day

RDH, RDHAP, and RDHEF CE (Dental Hygiene Board of California)

• RDH and RDHEF: 25 CE units every two years
• RDHAP: 35 CE units every two years
• Mandatory courses: a 2-unit California Dental Practice Act course and a 2-unit Infection Control course, both from a DHBC-approved Registered Provider, plus up to 4 units of BLS
• No more than 50% of units (12.5 for RDH/RDHEF, 17.5 for RDHAP) may be correspondence courses; no more than 8 units may be earned in a single day; courses primarily benefiting the licensee (e.g., practice management) are capped at 20% of the total requirement

All CE courses must come from a provider registered with the Dental Board of California, or approved by the ADA's Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP) or the AGD's Program Approval for Continuing Education (PACE); the Board does not pre-approve individual courses, only Registered Providers. Licensees must retain CE certificates for three renewal periods and are subject to random monthly CE audits.

Scope of practice for each California dental credential is defined by the Dental Practice Act (Business and Professions Code Division 2, Chapter 4) and the regulations of whichever board issues the license:

• Dentist — full scope of dental diagnosis, treatment planning, and surgical and restorative procedures.
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) — performs specified intraoral procedures under a dentist's supervision.
• Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions (RDAEF) — may perform additional restorative and clinical procedures beyond standard RDA scope under supervision.
• Orthodontic Assistant / Dental Sedation Assistant — perform specified orthodontic or sedation-monitoring duties under permit.
• Unlicensed dental assistant — permitted duties are set by the Board; must complete an 8-hour infection control course before basic supportive procedures involving exposure to blood or saliva (effective January 1, 2025).
• Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) — preventive and clinical hygiene procedures under a dentist's supervision, licensed by the DHBC.
• Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice (RDHAP) — may provide hygiene services in homes, schools, and residential facilities without an on-site supervising dentist, licensed by the DHBC.
• Registered Dental Hygienist in Extended Functions (RDHEF) — may perform certain restorative procedures beyond standard hygiene scope, licensed by the DHBC.

Anesthesia and sedation scope is further limited by permit type. As of the Board's most recent guidance, Conscious Sedation (CS) permits are no longer issued or renewed — the Moderate Sedation (MS) permit has replaced them — and a pediatric endorsement is now required on a General Anesthesia or Medical General Anesthesia permit before a dentist may administer or order deep sedation or general anesthesia for a patient under age 7. A Pediatric Minimal Sedation (PMS) permitholder is limited under BPC § 1647.32(d) to a single oral sedative drug (singly or in divided doses, not exceeding the manufacturer's maximum dose) plus nitrous oxide/oxygen and adjunctive agents that do not produce unintended moderate sedation.

Consumers may file complaints against Dental Board of California licensees — dentists (DDS), RDAs, and RDAEFs — and against holders of Board-issued permits, including anesthesia and sedation permits, the Mobile Dental Clinic Permit, Fictitious Name Permit, Orthodontic Assistant Permit, Dental Sedation Assistant Permit, and Registered CE Provider Permit.

How to file

• File online through DCA BreEZe Online Services, or
• Download the Consumer Complaint Form (available in English and Spanish) from the Board's website and submit it by email or mail.

Include a clear statement of the allegation, as many specific details as possible, and any supporting documentation such as photographs, invoices, or correspondence. If your complaint concerns substandard dental treatment, you must also submit a signed Authorization for Release of Dental/Medical Patient Records form so the Board can obtain your records. The Board can typically act on complaints alleging gross negligence or incompetence, substance use during practice, improper advertising, fraud, unsanitary conditions, or false/fictitious name use.

What the Board cannot address

The following are outside the Board's jurisdiction, and consumers are directed elsewhere:

• General administrative office procedures
• Fee and billing disputes — contact your insurance company, the dental office, or private legal counsel
• Insurance coverage disputes
• Reimbursement or financial compensation requests
• Rude behavior by dentists or dental staff

HMO-related issues go to the Department of Managed Health Care at 1–800–400–0815 or dmhc.ca.gov.

Unlicensed practice

Reports of unlicensed persons practicing dentistry can be filed with the Board. The Board's primary jurisdiction is over its own licensees, but it will investigate unlicensed-practice allegations in certain circumstances; where sufficient evidence is found, investigators forward the case to the local District Attorney's Office for criminal prosecution.

Complaints against hygienists

Complaints against RDH, RDHAP, and RDHEF licensees are filed with the Dental Hygiene Board of California using a parallel Consumer Complaint Form and process, available at dhbc.ca.gov/consumers/complaint_info.shtml or by calling (916) 263–1978.

License status and public disciplinary history for every California dental credential — dentist, RDA, RDAEF, permits, and (through the same portal) RDH/RDHAP/RDHEF — can be searched through the DCA License Search portal at search.dca.ca.gov.

How to search

• Search by license number, or by first/last name (or business name for entities).
• Optionally narrow results using the "Boards and Bureaus" filter — select Dental Board of California for dentists, RDAs, RDAEFs, and permits, or Dental Hygiene Board of California for RDH, RDHAP, and RDHEF licenses.
• Use the "License Type" filter to narrow to a specific credential (e.g., Dentist License, Registered Dental Assistant, Registered Dental Hygienist).
• Each result shows whether the license is current, expired, delinquent, or subject to disciplinary action such as suspension, revocation, or probation, along with any public disciplinary order on file.

A license that is not renewed on time displays as "Delinquent" on the portal until it is either renewed or cancelled after five years.

Hot Sheets

The Dental Board of California separately publishes monthly Hot Sheets — plain- language summaries of recent Board enforcement actions, including license type, action taken, and effective date — archived by month at dbc.ca.gov/consumers/hotsheets.shtml. The Board also distributes a periodic "Board Matters" newsletter covering enforcement trends, scam alerts, and regulatory updates.

The Board may impose license suspension, revocation, probation, practice restrictions, and civil penalties; the DCA License Search portal reflects the current status of any sanction, including active probationary conditions.