Iowa Board of Dentistry

The Iowa Dental Board operates within the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) and is the entity responsible for regulating the practice of dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental assisting in Iowa. Board members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate to serve three-year terms.

The Board's mission is to ensure that all Iowans receive professional, competent, and safe dental health care of the highest quality. In pursuit of that mission, the Board issues licenses, registrations, permits, and qualifications; establishes examination requirements for licensure; sets standards for continuing education and renewal; adopts rules and standards of care under Iowa Code Chapter 153; and investigates complaints, conducts disciplinary hearings, and monitors compliance with disciplinary orders.

Four standing committees support the Board's work:

• Dental Hygiene Committee — established under Iowa Code section 153.33A, with authority to make recommendations on the practice, discipline, education, examination, and licensure of dental hygienists
• Anesthesia Credentials Committee — reviews applications for moderate sedation and general anesthesia permits
• Continuing Education Advisory Committee — reviews individual course approvals and CE sponsor status
• Licensure Registration Committee — recommends Board action on completed license applications

The Iowa Dental Board issues licenses, registrations, permits, and qualifications for the following credential types, each governed by its own chapter of Iowa Administrative Code 481:

• Dentists (DDS/DMD) — standards of practice in Chapter 574
• Dental Hygienists (RDH) — Chapter 576
• Dental Assistants (RDA, QDA, XDA) — Chapter 575

Dentists may also hold a Faculty Permit, Resident License, Moderate Sedation (MS) Permit, or General Anesthesia (GA) Permit. Dental hygienists may hold a Local Anesthesia (LA) Permit and may administer nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia with board-approved training. Licensure is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 153 and Iowa Administrative Code 481, Chapters 570–581.

Iowa dental and dental hygiene license applications are submitted through the Iowa Dental Board online services portal. Completed applications are reviewed by the Board's Licensure Registration Committee, which recommends action to the full Board. Licensure requirements are set out in Iowa Administrative Code 481—Chapter 572.

Pathways to licensure

• By Examination — for graduates of a CODA-accredited dental or dental hygiene school who completed a board-approved clinical examination within the previous five years. Accepted exams: Central Regional Dental Testing Service (CRDTS), Western Regional Examining Board (WREB), States Resources for Testing & Assessments (SRTA), Commission on Dental Competency Assessments (CDCA), Council of Interstate Testing Agencies (CITA), or the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) as administered by CDCA, WREB, SRTA, or CITA. Applicants who have held a license in another state for more than 12 months must instead apply by credentials or verification.
• By Credentials — for CODA-accredited graduates who currently hold a valid license issued on the basis of a clinical exam in another state, or who have at least three years of current active practice in another state.
• By Verification — for dentists and dental hygienists who hold an active license in another state, subject to the specific requirements of IAC 481—572.

Applicants who fail a clinical licensing exam two or more times must complete additional formal remedial education before each subsequent attempt. Graduates of foreign dental schools who do not qualify for licensure by verification may still qualify through supplemental dental education, a postgraduate general practice residency of at least one academic year, or a board-approved credentialing evaluation — see IAC 481—572.3 and 572.4 — or may petition the Board for a rule waiver.

Dental assistant registration exams

Dental assistants who want to register (RDA or QDA) must pass board-approved examinations in Iowa jurisprudence and infection control/hazardous materials, plus a dental radiography exam if applying for a radiography qualification (QDA or XDA). These exams are administered at Iowa community college testing sites statewide; applicants schedule directly with a testing site at least 10 days in advance and pay a proctor fee to the college.

Iowa dental continuing education requirements are set out in Iowa Administrative Code 481—Chapter 573 and reviewed by the Board's Continuing Education Advisory Committee. CE is reported at the time of renewal; licensees and registrants must retain proof of attendance for four years, and the Board routinely audits renewals for compliance.

CE hours by credential type (per 2-year renewal period)

Dentist & dental hygienist required topics (within the 30 hours)

• At least 1 hour in infection control, meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards
• At least 1 hour in Iowa jurisprudence
• CPR — required for renewal; up to 3 hours may be claimed, and the course must include a hands-on clinical component
• At least 1 hour in opioids, for dentists who prescribed opioids during the current renewal period (Sept. 2024–Aug. 2026)
• 6 hours in sedation, for dentists holding a current moderate sedation or general anesthesia permit (not required for local anesthesia permit holders); these hours count toward the 30-hour total
• Mandatory child/dependent abuse identification and reporting training through Iowa HHS, renewed every 3 years

Dental assistant required topics (within the 20 hours)

• At least 1 hour in infection control
• At least 1 hour in Iowa jurisprudence
• At least 2 hours in dental radiography, for assistants who hold a radiography qualification (QDA/XDA)
• CPR — required for renewal, up to 3 hours
• Mandatory abuse identification and reporting training, renewed every 3 years

Courses in personal development, practice business strategy, financial management, marketing/sales, personnel management, insurance, and collective bargaining do not qualify for CE credit.

Dentists

“Practice of dentistry” is defined in Iowa Code section 153.13 and covers the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of the oral cavity and maxillofacial area, including tooth-whitening procedures involving the application of chemicals or a light source.

Dental hygienists

“Practice of dental hygiene” is defined in Iowa Code section 153.15 and includes educational, therapeutic, preventive, and assessment services. Except for educational services, hygienists perform these duties when delegated by, and under the supervision of, an Iowa-licensed dentist. Therapeutic services include oral prophylaxis and periodontal scaling/root planing, local anesthesia administration with a permit, nitrous oxide administration with board-approved training, and application of prescribed chemotherapeutic agents. A dentist may also delegate expanded-function duties to a hygienist who has completed board-approved training (IAC 481—Chapter 577).

Dental assistants

Dental assistants may perform services delegated by a dentist, including placement/removal of dry socket medication, periodontal dressing placement, pulp vitality testing, preliminary charting, glucose testing, phlebotomy, and board-approved expanded-function procedures. Assistants are prohibited from diagnosis, surgical procedures that irreversibly alter oral anatomy, administering local anesthesia, and removing plaque, stain, or calculus (except with a toothbrush, floss, or rubber-cup coronal polish). Assistants in training must work under personal supervision — a licensee physically present in the room — and may not train in or perform expanded functions.

The Iowa Dental Board investigates complaints against dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants under Iowa Administrative Code 481—Chapter 580 (Complaints and Investigations) and Chapter 581 (Discipline). Anyone — patients, family members, insurers, or others — may file a complaint.

How to file

• Online complaint form
• Email IDB@Iowa.gov
• By letter to: Iowa Dental Board, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, 6200 Park Ave., Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321

Include your name, address, and contact information; the patient's name, date of birth, and your relationship to the patient; the practitioner's name and contact information; the approximate date(s) of treatment; and a detailed explanation of the complaint.

What the Board prioritizes

The Board prioritizes complaints alleging serious competency concerns, patient harm, criminal conduct, substance abuse or impairment, sexual misconduct, or other unprofessional conduct affecting patient care. Less serious matters — billing disputes, an isolated rude interaction, or personality conflicts — may close without formal discipline, though a pattern of similar complaints can prompt the Board to reopen or prioritize a case.

Investigation and discipline

Staff open an investigative file and assign a case number. An investigator interviews those involved, requests records, and reviews the licensee's prior disciplinary history before reporting to the Board. The Board determines whether there is probable cause and may dismiss the complaint, issue a confidential Letter of Education or Warning, order further investigation or peer review, take public action (a Notice of Hearing and Statement of Charges), or — in the most serious cases — issue an emergency order suspending some or all of the licensee's privileges pending a hearing.

If charges are filed, the case proceeds toward settlement or a contested-case hearing before an administrative law judge; the licensee may choose an open or closed hearing. The Board may dismiss the case, issue a citation and warning, place a licensee on probation, restrict, suspend, or revoke a license, accept a voluntary surrender, and/or impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000. Investigative files remain confidential unless the Board files public charges; final Board actions are public and are reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.

License status for Iowa dental professionals can be searched through the Iowa Dental Board's practitioner-lookup tool on the AMANDA licensing portal at amanda-portal.idph.state.ia.us/idb/portal (Find a Practitioner). Search by practitioner name or license number to confirm a dentist's, dental hygienist's, or dental assistant's current license status.

Formal Board actions — Final Orders, Notices of Hearing, Settlement Agreements, and Statements of Charges — are published separately at dial.iowa.gov/i-need/board-actions, which lists Dental Board orders issued from January 1, 2023 to the present. You can also subscribe to DIAL's public information updates to receive an email whenever a new board order is issued.