District of Columbia Board of Dentistry

The DC Board of Dentistry is the dental regulatory authority for the District of Columbia, operating within DC Health's Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA). The Board regulates the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting in the District, evaluates applicant qualifications, administers exams, issues and renews licenses and registrations, and receives, reviews, and investigates complaints.

The Board consists of seven District residents appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council of the District of Columbia: five licensed dentists, one licensed dental hygienist, and one consumer member. The Board's statutory authority is the Health Occupations Revision Act of 1985 (HORA), effective March 25, 1986 (D.C. Law 6-99; D.C. Official Code § 3-1201.01 et seq.).

The Board holds hybrid meetings, both in-person and virtual, on a roughly monthly schedule with an August recess. In-person meetings are held at the Board's office. All licensing applications are submitted online — DC Health has not accepted paper applications since June 14, 2021.

The DC Board of Dentistry issues licenses, registrations, and permits for the following credential types:

• Dentist — full scope of dental diagnosis and treatment
• Dental Hygienist — preventive, diagnostic, and periodontal services, with optional certification in local anesthesia and/or nitrous oxide analgesia
• Dental Assistant — Level I, II, and III — supervised clinical support, with each level authorized for a progressively broader set of delegable functions under 17 DCMR Chapter 90
• Teaching License (Dentistry and Dental Hygiene) — for dental professionals in academic or teaching roles (17 DCMR 92)

Sedation and general anesthesia permits are also issued to qualified dentists and dental facilities under 17 DCMR Chapter 107. Dental hygienists may separately apply for local anesthesia and/or nitrous oxide analgesia authority for a $25 fee, in addition to a copy of a certificate of completion of the applicable course.

All new, renewal, reinstatement, and reactivation applications for DC dental credentials are submitted online through the DC Health Licensing Portal. DC Health has not accepted paper applications since June 14, 2021.

Dentist applicants

• All application pages and the $430 licensure fee are submitted online
• A recent passport-style photo and a photocopy of a current government-issued photo ID
• An official sealed transcript showing a conferred DDS or DMD, sent directly from the school to the Board
• Three moral character references
• National Board of Dental Examination (NBDE) and NERB (CDCA/WREB/ADEX/CITA/CRDTS/SRTA) results released directly to the Board
• A $50 Criminal Background Check (CBC) fee, paid online with the application, after which the applicant receives a code to schedule a fingerprint appointment
• For endorsement applicants: official license verifications from every state or jurisdiction ever held, sent directly by the issuing board, plus a current National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report from within the past two months

Dental hygienist and dental assistant applicants

Dental hygienists pay a $245 licensure fee; Dental Assistants (Levels I–III) pay a $190 application and license fee. Both pay the same $50 CBC fee as dentists. Dental Assistant Level II and III applicants must also submit proof of a Board- or CODA-approved training program (or DANB certification) plus 24 hours of dental radiology coursework, or a passing score on the DANB Radiation Health and Safety exam; Level III applicants must additionally hold a current DANB Certified Preventive Functions Dental Assistant credential and pass a Board-approved hands-on exam.

The DC Board of Dentistry requires continuing education (CE) as a condition of every license renewal. All CE, including CPR, may be completed through Board-approved online courses — DC eliminated its prior cap on online/self-study hours effective with the December 31, 2021 renewal.

CE hours by license type (current renewal cycle)

Dentist requirement breakdown (30 hours)

• 2 hours of current CPR certification for health care providers
• 2 hours of cultural competency or specialized clinical training focused on patients who identify as LGBTQ
• 1 hour of ethics
• 2 hours of infection control
• 20 hours of dental-related electives of the licensee's choice — for licensees permitted by the DEA and the DC Pharmaceutical Control Division to prescribe controlled substances, 2 of these elective hours must specifically cover the abuse and misuse of controlled substances and opioid prescribing practices
• 3 hours (10% of the total) must fall within topics the DOH Director designates annually as public health priorities

Dental hygienist requirement breakdown (20 hours)

• Current CPR certification for health care providers, basic level
• 2 hours of cultural competency or specialized clinical training focused on patients who identify as LGBTQ
• 1 hour of ethics
• 2 hours of infection control
• 2 hours (10% of the total) must fall within DOH-designated public health priority topics

During the birth-month renewal transition, licensees who received less than two years on their new license term may satisfy 50% of their total CE hour requirement, but the LGBTQ cultural competency and Public Health Priorities hours still apply in full. CE is not required on a licensee's first renewal.

DC dental practice law and the Health Occupations Revision Act (HORA) define the scope of activities each credential type may perform. Dentists hold authority to perform the full range of dental services under 17 DCMR Chapter 42. Dental hygienists perform preventive, diagnostic, and periodontal services under 17 DCMR Chapter 43.

Effective March 1, 2024, DC Health finalized new dental assistant scope-of-practice regulations (Final Rule N135043) that created a new Level III credential and revised the functions each level may perform under a dentist's direct supervision:

• Level I — expanded to include applying fluoride, constructing athletic mouth guards and night guards on models, tray-based whitening, and taking/recording vital signs
• Level II — all Level I functions, plus removing excess cement and removing or placing periodontal dressings (topical fluoride application moved to Level III)
• Level III — all Level I and II functions, plus applying pit and fissure sealants, coronal polishing to remove stain and biofilm, and glucose testing

Certain procedures may never be delegated to a dental assistant, regardless of level, including a preliminary dental exam, a complete prophylaxis, restoring a tooth, charting cavities, instructing patients in oral health care, diagnostic screening for oral abnormalities, administering local anesthesia or nitrous oxide, placing temporary restorations, taking final impressions, adjusting occlusion, cementing permanent restorations, applying silver diamine fluoride, using a high-speed handpiece intraorally, and oral cancer screenings (17 DCMR § 4215.1 and related provisions).

The DC Board of Dentistry investigates complaints alleging violations of dental practice law and regulations by dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants licensed or registered in the District. Complaints may concern substandard care, unprofessional conduct, unlicensed or unregistered practice, or other rule violations.

How to file a complaint

• Complete the fillable Healthcare Professional Complaint Form (PDF)
• Submit it as instructed on the Board's complaint page at dchealth.dc.gov/node/192802
• For questions about a submitted complaint, contact DC Health at (877) 672-2174 or the Board directly at dcbod@dc.gov

The Board reviews submitted complaints, may request supporting documentation, and takes action ranging from informal resolution to formal disciplinary proceedings. Substantiated violations can result in license suspension, revocation, probation, denial, or civil penalties.

Executed disciplinary orders are posted at dchealth.dc.gov/node/1679911, and Board meeting agendas and minutes are posted on the Board's event calendar at dchealth.dc.gov.

License status and disciplinary history for DC dental professionals can be searched through the DC Health Professional Profile Search. The tool is updated daily directly from the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration's licensing database and is considered a primary source.

How to search

• Select DENTISTRY from the Profession dropdown, and optionally narrow by License Type (Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant Level I/II/III, or a teaching credential)
• Enter a complete first and last name, or a full license number, for accurate results — partial or incomplete information produces unreliable matches
• Optionally filter by license Status (e.g., Active, Expired, Suspended, Revoked, Probation, Summarily Suspended)

Executed disciplinary orders — denials, suspensions, consent orders, revocations, and final orders — are separately published by licensee name at dchealth.dc.gov/node/1679911, with entries currently dating back to 2005.

To request an official paper verification of a DC dental license (for example, to submit to another state's board), complete the Verification of Licensure Form and submit it with a $34 fee; processing can take up to six weeks. Details are at dchealth.dc.gov/node/173822.