Indiana Board of Dentistry

The Indiana State Board of Dentistry (ISBD) sets the licensing standards and practice rules for dentists and dental hygienists in Indiana. The Board operates within the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), which handles the day-to-day administration of licensing — applications, renewals, verifications, and online services — for dozens of regulated professions across the state.

The practice of dentistry and dental hygiene is governed primarily by Indiana Code Title 25, Article 14 (dentists) and Title 25, Article 13 (dental hygienists), with the Board's implementing rules compiled under Title 828 of the Indiana Administrative Code.

Board composition

The Board has 11 members, all appointed by the Governor:

• 9 dentists (one of whom serves as Secretary/Designee)
• 1 dental hygienist
• 1 consumer member

Pursuant to IC 25-1-6.5-2, members serve until a successor is appointed after the end of their term, and members may serve multiple terms.

The Board holds regular public meetings that are livestreamed via Zoom, with recordings of past meetings archived on IPLA's YouTube channel. Board minutes, agendas, and licensing statistics are published on the Board's information page.

Indiana issues the following dental practice credentials through the State Board of Dentistry and IPLA:

• Dentist — standard full-practice license for graduates of accredited dental programs.
• Provisional dentist — temporary credential while an applicant completes remaining licensure requirements.
• Dental faculty — for dental professionals employed by an Indiana dental school.
• Dental intern permit — for dental graduates in internship or residency training.
• Dental residency — for enrollees in an accredited postgraduate residency program.
• Dental instructor — for dentists employed to teach at the Indiana University School of Dentistry.
• Dental anesthesia permit — required for dentists administering general anesthesia, deep sedation, or light parenteral conscious sedation, in addition to the base dental license.
• Provisional dental anesthesia permit — temporary anesthesia permit while full permit requirements are completed.
• Dental radiographer — authorizes dental radiography procedures.
• Dental hygienist — license for dental hygiene practice.
• Provisional dental hygienist — temporary credential during the hygiene licensure process.
• Dental hygiene intern permit — for hygiene graduates in supervised training settings.
• Dental hygiene anesthesia permit — authorizes qualifying hygienists to administer local anesthesia.
• Provisional dental hygiene anesthesia permit — temporary permit while full requirements are completed.
• Limited charitable dental permit and limited charitable dental hygienist permit — authorize dentists and hygienists to provide charitable dental services in limited settings.
• Mobile Dental Facility registration — for dentists operating a mobile or portable dental unit.
• Continuing Education Sponsor / Study Club approval — for organizations or study clubs seeking Board approval to offer CE credit.

IPLA does not issue a license, permit, or certification for dental assisting. Dental assistants who need certification for x-ray qualifications must contact the Indiana Department of Health. Indiana does not currently license dental therapists; procedures within dental therapy scope in other states remain within the dentist's scope of practice in Indiana.

Indiana dental license applications are submitted online through mylicense.in.gov, the IPLA licensing portal. First-time applicants must create an account before accessing application forms. If an applicant does not submit all requirements within one year after filing, the application is treated as abandoned.

Dentist application pathways

• By examination — for graduates of an accredited dental program who passed a clinical exam within the last 5 years. Application fee: $250.00.
• By reciprocity — for applicants who currently hold an active, equivalent dental license in another state with no discipline on record. A disciplined out-of-state license requires Board review before an Indiana license is issued. Application fee: $250.00.
• By unaccredited college — for graduates of a non-accredited dental program who completed at least 2 years of qualifying clinical training; also requires a TOEFL English proficiency exam (waivable by the Board under IC 25-14-1-4.5(b)). Application fee: $250.00.

Dental hygienist application pathways

• By examination or by reciprocity (active out-of-state license) — application fee: $100.00.
• By foreign-educated dentist — for graduates of a foreign dental program under IC 25-13-1-6(2)(B); requires a credential evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Application fee: $100.00.

All applicants must complete a criminal background check, and most pathways require an official score report from the National Board Dental Examinations plus a clinical exam through CDCA, NERB, WREB, CITA, or CRDTS (which has absorbed SRTA).

Jurisprudence examination

Once other application items are reviewed and approved, IPLA emails the applicant a jurisprudence examination. Applicants have 14 days to complete and return it. Key details:

• 30 questions, true-false and multiple-choice format
• 75% or higher required to pass
• Covers IC 25-13 (dental hygiene law), IC 25-14 (dental law), IC 25-1 (PLA general provisions), Title 828 IAC dental and dental hygiene rules, and Title 410 IAC 1-3/1-4 (infectious waste and universal precautions)

Continuing education is required to renew an Indiana dental or dental hygiene license. Requirements are set out in Title 828 of the Indiana Administrative Code and in IC 25-13 (hygienists) and IC 25-14 (dentists), and apply per 2-year renewal period ending March 1 of even-numbered years.

Dentists (at least 20 hours total)

• At least half of all CE hours must be completed live (online courses count as live only if there is real-time interaction with the instructor)
• 2 hours covering Ethics, Professional Responsibility, and Indiana Statutes and Administrative Rules — required every renewal period with no exception (828 IAC 1-5-6)
• No more than 5 hours may be applied toward practice management courses (IC 25-14-3-8(c))
• Dentists holding a GADS/LPCS anesthesia permit must also complete 5 hours of CE in anesthesia each license period to renew the permit; these hours count toward the 20-hour total (828 IAC 3-1-7.5)
• Annual HIPAA and OSHA/infection control training is required by federal mandate (no set hour count) and may also count toward the Indiana CE total

Dental hygienists (at least 19 hours total)

• At least half of all CE hours must be completed live
• 2 hours covering Ethics, Professional Responsibility, and Indiana Statutes and Administrative Rules — required every renewal period with no exception
• A Board-approved Basic Life Support course is required each renewal period; up to 2 hours of it may count toward the CE total (IC 25-13-2-8(b)(3); 828 IAC 1-6-1)
• No more than 5 hours may be applied toward practice management courses (IC 25-13-2-6(c))
• Annual HIPAA and OSHA/infection control training is required by federal mandate and may also count toward the Indiana CE total

Rules that apply to both license types

• Distance-learning courses with no live interaction (pure self-study) count for only one-half the credit hours claimed (IC 25-14-3-8(a); IC 25-13-2-6(e))
• CE is not required for a dentist or hygienist who has held an initial license for less than 2 years, a graduate student or resident in an approved program, or a licensee the Board determines is unable to practice due to disability
• Licensees must retain CE completion certificates for 3 years after the end of the licensing period (IC 25-1-4-3(a)(2))
• Following each renewal period, the Board randomly audits between 1% and 10% of licensees for CE compliance (IC 25-1-4-3(b))
• Hardship waivers from CE requirements are available for military service, incapacitating illness/injury, or other Board-approved circumstances (IC 25-1-4-4)

Scope of practice for Indiana dental professionals is defined by the Indiana Code and implemented through Board rules:

• Title 25, Article 14 — sets out the scope, requirements, and limitations for dentists practicing in Indiana.
• Title 25, Article 13 — governs dental hygienist practice, including what hygienists may perform independently versus under a dentist's supervision (see IC 25-13-1-10 for supervision requirements).
• Title 828 of the Indiana Administrative Code — the Board's implementing rules.

Anesthesia and sedation

A dentist who wants to administer general anesthesia, deep sedation, or light parenteral conscious sedation must hold a separate GADS/LPCS permit, which requires documented postdoctoral training (see 828 IAC 3-1-3 and 3-1-5) and renews alongside CE in anesthesia every license period. A qualifying dental hygienist may obtain a dental hygiene anesthesia permit to administer local anesthesia after completing a CODA-accredited course (minimum 15 hours didactic instruction and 14 hours laboratory work) and a recognized local anesthesia clinical examination.

Indiana does not have a separate license or permit specifically for administering nitrous oxide. What is required for a dental hygienist to administer nitrous oxide is set out in IC 25-13-1-10.7. Under 2026 legislation (HEA 1254/SEA 180), the Board's authority to approve nitrous oxide training programs was expanded.

Limited charitable practice

Indiana maintains limited charitable dental permits for dentists and dental hygienists who provide services in charitable settings under defined conditions, authorizing a narrower scope than a standard practice license for volunteer or safety-net care.

Dental therapy

Indiana does not currently authorize a dental therapist license type. Procedures within dental therapy scope in other states remain within the dentist's scope of practice in Indiana.

Indiana handles dental complaints through two channels depending on what you are trying to resolve.

Step 1: Quality-of-care disputes — try resolution first

The Indiana Dental Association (IDA) recommends first raising an issue directly with the dentist or office manager, in person or in writing. For unresolved quality-of-care disputes only (not customer service, fees, insurance, billing, or staff issues), the IDA offers a Peer Review mediation process: request forms from the IDA's Indianapolis office, the forms are screened for eligibility, and eligible cases are referred to a panel of dentists at a local district dental society for consideration.

Step 2: Formal licensing complaint

To pursue formal discipline against a dentist, dental hygienist, or other IPLA-regulated dental licensee, file a Licensing Enforcement complaint with the Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division — not directly with IPLA or the Board. Complaints are filed under IC 25-1-7-4 using the online Licensing Enforcement complaint form. When filing:

• You must provide the licensee's name, license number (look it up at mylicense.in.gov/EVerification), and mailing address; phone and email are also helpful
• Anonymous complaints cannot be accepted. If you need to remain anonymous, ask IPLA to file on your behalf, which may limit the investigation
• Complaints and investigation records are confidential under IC 25-1-7-10
• Investigations can take up to 12 months depending on the allegations

How discipline works

The Attorney General reviews the complaint first. If the evidence supports action, the Attorney General brings a formal administrative complaint to the Board, functioning much like a prosecutor presenting a case — the Board (or an administrative law judge it appoints) then holds a hearing and decides the outcome. Possible sanctions include revocation, suspension, probation, censure, reprimand, or a fine of up to $1,000 per violation.

Indiana maintains two separate, complementary public tools for checking a dental licensee's status and disciplinary history.

License verification

Search current license status at the mylicense.in.gov EVerification portal. Select "Dentistry Board" from the Profession dropdown (or narrow further using the License Type dropdown, e.g. Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Anesthesia Permit). You can search by first/last name (use an asterisk for a wildcard, e.g. "Al*"), license number, city, county, or zip code. Status values shown include Active, Active – Under Review, Expired, Inactive, Probation, Revoked, Suspended, and Voluntary Surrender.

Disciplinary actions / Discipline Search

Formal disciplinary orders are published at IPLA's Discipline Search tool. The default Search view shows actions taken within the previous 90 days only; use Advanced Search to look up a specific licensee by name or license number, or to view older actions. Disciplinary information is refreshed weekly. Records not available online can be requested through IPLA's Access to Public Records Act (APRA) portal.

Note that a Board action announced at a public meeting is not reflected as final in these tools until the written order is issued, which state law allows up to 90 days to complete.