Louisiana Board of Dentistry

The Louisiana State Board of Dentistry (LSBD) was created within the Louisiana Department of Health to enforce the Dental Practice Act, La. R.S. 37:751 et seq., and Board rules at Louisiana Administrative Code Title 46, Part XXXIII. Its mission is to protect the public by regulating the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene in Louisiana — the Board licenses dentists and dental hygienists, sets continuing education requirements, investigates complaints, and disciplines licensees who violate the law.

Under La. R.S. 37:753, the Board is composed of 15 members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate: one consumer member, thirteen licensed dentists, and one licensed dental hygienist. The thirteen dentist seats break down as one dentist from each of nine geographic board districts (District Five elects two, designated "A" and "B") plus three at-large seats — At-Large Seat A, reserved for a Black dentist nominated by statewide ballot of licensed Black dentists; At-Large Seat B, reserved for a board-eligible or board-certified pediatric dentist; and At-Large Seat C, reserved for a board-eligible or board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, dental anesthesiologist, or dentist with comparable deep sedation training. The hygienist seat is filled from a statewide ballot of licensed hygienists. The consumer member must never have held a license from a Louisiana health-related licensing board (or been married to someone who has), must never have been convicted of a felony, and may not participate in grading licensing examinations. Members serve five-year terms and may serve no more than two full terms.

The Board currently elects Dr. Kimberly Caldwell (4th District) as president, Dr. David Baughman (2nd District) as vice president, and Dr. Nelson Daly (8th District) as secretary-treasurer. The Board's domicile is East Baton Rouge Parish, and it operates through eight standing committees, including Licensing and Credentials, Continuing Education, Anesthesia, Impaired Dentist, Examination, and Rulemaking.

The Louisiana State Board of Dentistry licenses two practitioner types:

• Dentists
• Dental Hygienists

The Board does not license or regulate dental assistants. It issues certificate confirmations to Expanded Duty Dental Assistants (EDDAs) under Chapter 5 of the Board's rules, but this is a certificate confirmation, not a license.

The Board also issues permits layered on top of a dental or hygiene license: personal nitrous oxide/enteral conscious sedation permits, personal and office moderate sedation permits, and general anesthesia permits for dentists; and nitrous oxide and local anesthesia permits for dental hygienists. Restricted licenses are available for dentists in Louisiana postgraduate programs or teaching at a Louisiana dental school.

Two pathways lead to a full dental or hygiene license: Licensure by Examination (LBE) for applicants who recently passed the ADEX clinical exam, and Licensure by Credentials (LBC) for applicants currently licensed in another state, including a streamlined LBC track for current Louisiana residents under Act 253 of the 2024 Regular Session.

All Louisiana dental and dental hygiene applications are mailed to the Board's office along with supporting documents and fees — the Board does not accept online applications. Every applicant, for both LBE and LBC, must submit to a criminal fingerprint background check; the check must be scheduled after the Board receives your application and fee, or the results will not be accepted and a second background check (at additional cost) will be required.

Licensure by Examination (LBE)

• Dentists — eligible if the ADEX clinical exam was completed within the last five years. Application fee: $350.
• Dental Hygienists — eligible if the ADEX clinical exam was completed within the last three years. Application fee: $180.

Licensure by Credentials (LBC) — regular

• Dentists — requires an active out-of-state license and at least 1,000 hours of practice per year for each of the preceding three years. Application fee: $2,050.
• Dental Hygienists — requires an active out-of-state license and at least 1,000 hours of practice in the preceding year. Application fee: $830.

Licensure by Credentials — Louisiana resident

Under Act 253 of the 2024 Regular Session, a current Louisiana resident who has held a dental or hygiene license in good standing in another state for at least one year, and who passed a clinical licensure exam that included a hand-skills assessment, may apply through a Louisiana Resident LBC application, which requires less documentation than the regular LBC track. Proof of Louisiana residency is required.

Restricted licenses

Restricted licenses are available to dentists participating in a Louisiana postgraduate program or teaching at a Louisiana dental school; the license is valid only for the term of that employment or enrollment, and the sponsoring institution must notify the Board immediately if the arrangement ends.

Jurisprudence examination

Every applicant for a dental or dental hygiene license must pass a written jurisprudence examination covering the Dental Practice Act and Board rules before licensure. The Board's Laws and Rules page links the current Dental Practice Act and Board rules (Title 46, Part XXXIII) so applicants can study before testing.

Louisiana requires renewing dentists and dental hygienists to report continuing education (CE) through CE Broker no later than December 31 of the renewal year. There is no charge for a basic CE Broker account. CE requirements are set out in Chapter 16 of the Board's rules (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Part XXXIII).

Dentists — 30 hours per 2-year renewal period

• At least 20 hours of personally attended, clinical, hands-on courses
• Up to 10 hours of clinical courses that may be completed online or by correspondence, provided the course requires a written exam at the end
• 3 of the 30 hours must be an approved opioid management course covering drug diversion, safe prescribing of controlled substances, and addiction treatment — a one-time, career-long requirement under Act 76 of the 2017 Regular Session, unless the dentist certifies they have not prescribed, administered, or dispensed a controlled substance during the renewal period

Dental Hygienists — 20 hours per 2-year renewal period

• At least 12 hours of personally attended, clinical, hands-on courses
• Up to 8 hours of clinical courses that may be completed online or by correspondence, provided the course requires a written exam at the end

CPR and sedation/anesthesia CE

• All licensees must maintain current BLS certification at all times — only the American Heart Association BLS Provider course or American Red Cross professional-rescue BLS course qualify, and fully online BLS courses are never accepted
• Dentists holding an adult moderate sedation or general anesthesia permit must also maintain current ACLS certification; those with a pediatric permit must also maintain PALS certification
• Sedation/general anesthesia permit holders must complete 6 hours of in-person sedation CE each renewal period (12 hours if certified for both adult and pediatric sedation), beginning with the second renewal period after the permit issues
• All BLS, ACLS, and PALS cards must be uploaded to the dedicated CPR section in CE Broker, not reported as ordinary clinical CE, or the required CPR flag will not clear

The Dental Practice Act, La. R.S. 37:751 et seq., and Board rules at Louisiana Administrative Code Title 46, Part XXXIII, define the scope of practice for each credential the Board oversees:

• Dentists — full evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and surgical or nonsurgical treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area, and related structures.
• Dental Hygienists — preventive and clinical services as authorized by Board rule; hygienists may separately obtain nitrous oxide and local anesthesia permits to expand the services they may deliver.
• Expanded Duty Dental Assistants (EDDAs) — may perform expanded functions under a dentist's direct, on-premises supervision after completing an Expanded Duty Dental Assistant course, an accepted BLS course, and an approved radiology course. The Board only recognizes EDDA coursework taught at the LSU School of Dentistry, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, or Southern University at Shreveport — an out-of-state EDDA credential does not transfer to Louisiana.

The Louisiana State Board of Dentistry investigates complaints alleging a violation of the Dental Practice Act by a licensed dentist or dental hygienist and may discipline a licensee found in violation.

What the Board can and cannot address

The Board's complaint page states plainly that it does not have jurisdiction over fee disputes, personality conflicts, rude behavior, or appointment scheduling. The Board is not a court and cannot order a licensee to pay compensation to a patient — only a Louisiana court can award compensation. To take disciplinary action for substandard care, the Board must show by clear and convincing evidence that the dentist is a danger to the public, a higher bar than the "more likely than not" standard a civil court applies to award damages.

How to file a complaint

• Download the complaint form from lsbd.org/complaints.htm.
• Complete the form and return it to the Board by email to rachel@lsbd.org, by fax, or by mail.
• Name an individual licensee in the complaint — the Board licenses individuals, not dental practices, and cannot act on a complaint against a practice alone.

License status and disciplinary history for Louisiana dentists and dental hygienists are searchable through the LSBD License Verification portal at member-base.net/lsbdweb/licenseverification.htm, which the Board describes as primary source verification of current licensure, updated continually.

How to search

• Visit the LSBD License Verification portal.
• Search by license number, last name, or first name.
• If a disciplinary action is on file, the result includes a link to view a PDF of the action.
• For retired or revoked licenses, or a license not found in the portal, contact the Board office directly at (225) 219-7330.