Hawaii Board of Dentistry

The Hawaii Board of Dentistry operates within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Professional and Vocational Licensing (PVL) Division. The Board is established under Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 448 (Dentistry) and Chapter 447 (Dental Hygienists), read together with HRS Chapter 436B, the Uniform Professional and Vocational Licensing Act. Its duties include examining and licensing dentists and dental hygienists, adopting continuing education requirements, and investigating and disciplining licensees who violate the law.

Board composition

Under HRS §448-5, the Board consists of 12 members: eight practicing dentists with at least five years of experience (one each appointed from the counties of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai, and five from the City and County of Honolulu), two practicing dental hygienists with at least five years of experience, and two public members. No member may be financially connected to a dental supply company. Members are nominated by, and appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate by, the Governor under HRS §26-34, serve four-year terms, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms (eight consecutive years).

As of this writing, the Board's members are:

• Andrew Tseu, DDS, JD — Chairperson
• Jonathan Lau, DDS — Vice-Chairperson (Maui County)
• Paul Guevara, DMD, MDS
• Craig Yamamoto, DDS
• Steven Pine, DDS (Hawaii Island County)
• Christopher Woo, DDS
• Timmy Hirano, DDS (Kauai County)
• Joyce Yamada, RDH
• Marianne Timmerman, RDH
• Joy Shimabuku, Public member

Two seats — a dentist seat representing Oahu and a public-member seat — were listed as vacant as of this writing.

The Hawaii Board of Dentistry issues the following dental credential types:

• Dentist (DT)
• Dental Hygienist (DH)
• Community Service Dentist (CSDT) — for practice within the Department of Health, a federally qualified health center, Native Hawaiian health center, community health center, rural health clinic, mobile dental outreach program, or accredited postsecondary dental auxiliary training program
• Community Service Dental Hygienist (CSDH) — renews annually, within one month before the license expiration date, rather than on the standard biennial cycle
• Temporary licenses — including a general Dentist/Dental Hygienist temporary permit, a Dentist temporary license for post-doctoral residents, and a Dentist temporary military spouse license

Two additional credentials build on a base license:

• Dentist Permit to Administer Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia and Moderate Sedation — a separate application, requirements, and fee
• Dental Hygienist Certification in the Administration of Intra-Oral Block Anesthesia

Hawaii does not offer traditional licensure by reciprocity or endorsement: nearly every applicant, regardless of where they are already licensed, must pass the same clinical examinations required of a first-time applicant.

Dentist applicants

• Be at least 18 years old and a graduate of a dental college accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)
• Pass Parts I and II of the National Board Dental Examination or the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (INBDE)
• Pass all five sections of the ADEX Dental Examination — the Diagnostic Skills Examination, the manikin-based Endodontic, Fixed Prosthodontic, and Periodontal Clinical Examinations, and the Restorative Clinical Examination — offered by the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA) or the Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA)

Dental hygienist applicants

• Be at least 18 years old and a graduate of a dental hygiene program accredited by CODA
• Pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination
• Pass one of four regional clinical examinations taken after February 1, 2005, per HRS §447-1(b): WREB, CRDTS, SRTA, or CDCA (formerly NERB)
• Already hold certification in the administration of intra-oral infiltration and block anesthesia

Hawaii does not require a separate jurisprudence examination for either license type. All applicants must also be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an alien authorized to work in the United States (HRS §436B-10); an applicant who has met every other requirement but is awaiting work authorization may receive a two-year conditional approval that does not itself authorize practice.

Community Service License — the closest option for out-of-state dentists and hygienists

Rather than a general reciprocity path, HRS §448-9.6 allows the Board to issue a Community Service License, without examination, to a dentist or hygienist who holds an active, unrestricted license in another state and who either passed Part II of the National Board Dental Examination (or the INBDE) within the last five years, or has practiced clinically at least 1,000 hours per year for the preceding three years. This license only authorizes practice within the employ of a qualifying community-health organization, carries a registration fee equal to half of the prevailing biennial dentist registration fee, and ends automatically if the license holder leaves that employment.

The Board's continuing education (CE) program is set out in HRS §448-8.5 and Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) §§16-79-140 through 16-79-148. Requirements are calculated per two-year biennium and are due at the time of biennial renewal, December 31 of each odd-numbered year.

CE hours by license type

Required CE categories (HAR §16-79-141)

• Clinical courses directly related to patient care must make up more than half of the required hours, for both dentists and dental hygienists
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers — must be current, include a hands-on component, and come from the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or a Board-approved sponsor; capped at 4 hours per biennium and does not count toward the clinical-course minimum
• Dentists who administer general anesthesia or moderate sedation must also complete Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) if they treat pediatric patients (both if treating patients under 13 and 13 or older)
• Ethics courses — at least 2 hours per biennium for dental hygienists (within the standard total); at least 3 hours per year for dentists (in addition to the standard total)
• Other eligible categories: non-clinical courses (patient/practice management, ethics, and law), oral-health volunteer hours and licensure-exam calibration (capped at 4 hours/biennium), instructor hours (capped at 2 hours/biennium), and ADA/ADHA convention attendance (capped at 2 hours/biennium)
• Computer, correspondence, or other self-study courses may not exceed 8 hours total per biennium, across any category
• Courses in estate planning, membership, marketing, business, personal financial planning, and investments are not eligible for CE credit

Online and virtual CE

100% online and virtual CE courses are accepted toward Hawaii renewal requirements, except for the hands-on skills portion of BLS, which must be completed in person.

CE waiver or extension requests

A licensee requesting a CE waiver or extension under HAR §16-79-147 must submit the request in writing with a hard-copy renewal form, pending Board approval. Renewing without meeting the CE requirement and without an approved waiver constitutes a false attestation and may lead to disciplinary action.

Hawaii Administrative Rules define two levels of dentist supervision that determine what a dental hygienist or dental assistant may do:

• Direct supervision — the supervising dentist examines and diagnoses the condition, authorizes each procedure, and remains in the office or facility while the procedure is performed
• General supervision — the supervising dentist has already examined, diagnosed, and authorized the procedure under a treatment plan, but does not need to be present; the dentist must remain available for consultation

Dental hygienists (HAR §16-79-69.10)

Under general or direct supervision, a licensed dental hygienist may, among other duties: administer intra-oral infiltration and block anesthesia; apply prescriptive treatments and chemotherapeutic agents such as fluoride desensitizers and antimicrobial rinses; apply pit and fissure sealants; perform non-surgical periodontal scaling, root planing, and periodontal maintenance; perform dental prophylaxis and coronal polishing; place periodontal dressing; and collect and assess patient data such as periodontal charting and oral cancer screenings. In a public health setting under HRS §447-3(d), a hygienist may perform these same duties under general supervision.

Infection control

Licensed dentists and dental hygienists must practice infection control consistent with the guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Dental Association (HAR §16-79-8).

Complaints against Hawaii dental licensees are not filed directly with the Board of Dentistry — they go through the DCCA's Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO), which handles complaints for every regulated profession in the state.

Step 1: Try self-help first

RICO provides a sample Self-Help Letter to help patients communicate concerns directly to a licensee before filing a formal complaint, since many disputes are resolved this way.

Step 2: File with RICO

At cca.hawaii.gov/rico/file/, choose one of two options:

• Formal Complaint — for a specific grievance against a named licensee, filed at web2.dcca.hawaii.gov/ricocomplaint/
• Unlicensed Activity Tip — to report someone practicing dentistry without a Hawaii license, filed at web2.dcca.hawaii.gov/tip/

Investigation and discipline

The Board of Dentistry, or its authorized representative, may investigate a licensee's character, qualifications, or conduct and hold hearings under HRS §448-11. Grounds for suspension, revocation, or a fine under HRS §448-17 include fraud in procuring a license, habitual intoxication or drug addiction, unlicensed fee-splitting, false or misleading advertising of a dental specialty, and any other unprofessional or dishonorable conduct. Violations without an otherwise-specified penalty carry a fine of $1,000 to $5,000.

License status for Hawaii dental professionals is searched through the state's MyPVL Public License Search portal.

How to look up a Hawaii dental license

• Visit mypvl.dcca.hawaii.gov/public-license-search/.
• Search by license number, or by business/individual name, selecting a license type such as DENTIST, DENTAL HYGIENIST, COMMUNITY SERVICE DENTIST, COMMUNITY SERVICE DENTAL HYGIENIST, DENTIST TEMP, or DENTAL HYGIENIST TEMP.
• Results display the licensee's name, license number, license type, and location.

The portal reflects posted information as of the date shown on the search page and is normally updated daily, Monday through Friday except state holidays; changes that are still under review are not yet reflected. See the portal's disclaimer for details.

Searching complaint history separately

License verification does not show whether a complaint has been filed. For that, use RICO's separate Complaints History Search tool, which lets you search current and archived complaints filed against a named individual or company by name. Per the tool's disclaimer, the mere existence of a filed complaint does not mean the licensee has been found to have violated any law.