Maine Board of Dentistry

The Maine Board of Dental Practice, established in 1891, is a state regulatory agency whose purpose is to protect the public health and welfare by ensuring that the public is served by competent and honest dental practitioners. The Board sets minimum standards of proficiency and examines, licenses, regulates, and disciplines those who practice in the profession.

The Board is a nine-member body comprised of 5 dentists, 2 dental hygienists, 1 denturist, and 1 public member, all appointed by the Governor. The Board meets on a monthly basis.

Following Public Law 2023, chapter 17, the Board of Dental Practice was transferred from an independent affiliated board into a licensure program operating within the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR), part of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. The Board still examines and licenses applicants, investigates complaints, and disciplines licensees, but shares administrative infrastructure with OPOR's other licensing boards.

The Board grants licenses in the following categories: dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, denturists, independent practice dental hygienists, public health dental hygienists, expanded function dental assistants, and dental radiographers. The Board also issues permits to qualified licensees to perform certain dental procedures, including the use of nitrous oxide, local anesthesia, moderate sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia.

The Maine Board of Dental Practice licenses oral health professionals across a broader range of credential categories than many states, reflecting Maine's expanded dental workforce model. The Board issues licenses, authorities, and permits in the following categories:

• Dentist — full scope of dental procedures, plus Faculty, Limited (nonprofit-clinic, unpaid), Resident, and Temporary (6-month) dentist licenses.
• Dental Hygienist — preventive, diagnostic, and periodontal services under dentist supervision, plus a Faculty Dental Hygienist license.
• Dental Hygiene Practice Authorities — additional authorities a licensed hygienist may add: Local Anesthesia, Nitrous Oxide Analgesia, Independent Practice Dental Hygiene, Public Health Dental Hygiene, Dental Hygiene Therapy, and Provisional Dental Hygiene Therapy.
• Dental Therapist — mid-level oral health provider authorized under Maine's dental therapy statute, practicing under a written agreement with a supervising dentist.
• Denturist — denture services provided directly to patients, plus a Faculty Denturist license.
• Expanded Function Dental Assistant (EFDA) — credentialed dental assistants authorized to perform expanded clinical functions under dentist supervision.
• Dental Radiographer — credentialed to take dental radiographs under dentist or independent-practice dental hygienist supervision.
• Sedation/Anesthesia Permits — Moderate Sedation Level I (Enteral) and Level II (Parenteral), Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia, and Itinerant Dentist permits.

Note: dental assistants who are not EFDAs are not licensed by the Board; dentists may delegate certain services to unlicensed individuals as provided in Title 32, Chapter 143.

Maine dental license applications are submitted online through the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation's licensing portal. Application checklists for each credential type are published on the Board's Applications & Forms page.

Application resources

• Apply online — submit a new license application, renew, check application status, or request a copy of your license at the Maine online licensing portal.
• Applications and forms — checklists, paper applications, and CE documentation forms at maine.gov/dental/licensure/forms.html.
• Laws and rules — the Maine Dental Practice Act (32 M.R.S. §§ 18301–18393) and Board rules at maine.gov/dental/statutes-rules/statutes-rules.html.

Jurisprudence examination

Every applicant must pass a written, open-book jurisprudence examination testing knowledge of the Board's governing statutes and rules. Key details:

• Passing score: 90 percent
• Not administered online — you must print, complete, and upload the exam as part of your online license application
• A separate exam is published for each credential category: Dentist (including Faculty, Limited, Resident, and Temporary licensure), Dental Hygiene (including Faculty and Temporary), Denturist (including Faculty and Temporary), Dental Radiography, and Expanded Function Dental Assistant
• Failing the exam after three attempts may result in a preliminary denial of licensure

Endorsement (out-of-state licensees)

Under Board Rule Chapter 11, the Board may waive examination requirements for an applicant already licensed in another jurisdiction through one of two pathways:

• Substantially equivalent license — verification of all licenses held in good standing during the 3 consecutive years before applying, documentation of the laws and rules of each jurisdiction practiced in during that period, a resume or CV summarizing that practice with verifiable references, and current BLS certification.
• Substantially similar qualifications — verification of current licensure, all standard initial-licensure application materials for the credential sought, and current BLS certification.

Applicants have 90 days after being notified of missing materials to submit them, or the application may be denied.

The Maine Board of Dental Practice requires continuing education (CE) “directly related to dental practice” as a condition of license renewal, under Board Rule Chapter 13. All license types also require a current BLS certification to renew.

CE hours by license type

Dentist required areas of study

• At least 3 of the 40 hours must cover opioid medication prescribing, as a condition of prescribing opioids
• At least 6 of the 40 hours must cover sedation and/or anesthesia, physical diagnosis, complications, and techniques, as a condition of holding a sedation permit
• A current BLS certification is required; no more than 3 of the required hours may come from BLS training, and online-only BLS training is not accepted

Eligible and ineligible activities

• No hour limit on lectures/seminars/workshops, Board-approved study clubs, accredited post-graduate academic courses, and distance learning with a verified exit exam
• Combined maximum of 10 hours for teaching/guest lecturing, grand rounds, writing for publication, pre-recorded audio/video study, distance learning without an exit exam, student table clinics, and in-service training
• No more than 6 hours of ACLS/PALS certification training may count, and online-only ACLS/PALS training is not accepted
• Ineligible: CE ordered under a Board consent agreement, general conference attendance, professional association business meetings, reading without an exam, and any activity unrelated to dental practice (e.g., yoga or personal-growth courses)

Maine has a broader dental workforce structure than most states, and each license and practice authority carries its own defined scope under the Maine Dental Practice Act (32 M.R.S. Chapter 143) and Board Rules Chapters 2–6 and 12.

• Dentists — full diagnosis and treatment of oral conditions, and may supervise dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental radiographers, and EFDAs.
• Dental Hygienists — preventive and periodontal services under general or direct dentist supervision, expandable with Local Anesthesia or Nitrous Oxide Analgesia authorities.
• Independent Practice / Public Health Dental Hygienists — practice under a written practice agreement with a supervising dentist rather than on-site supervision.
• Dental Therapists — mid-level providers practicing under a dental therapy practice agreement with a supervising dentist.
• Denturists — fabricate and deliver dentures directly to patients.
• Expanded Function Dental Assistants — perform expanded clinical functions, including — as of May 23, 2025 — exposing and processing radiographs, under dentist supervision.
• Dental Radiographers — take dental radiographs under the supervision of a dentist or an independent-practice dental hygienist.

Dental assistants who are not licensed EFDAs are not regulated by the Board; a dentist may delegate certain services to them as provided in Title 32, Chapter 143.

The Maine Board of Dental Practice's primary purpose in its complaint process is to protect the public against dishonest, unethical, and incompetent practitioners whose conduct falls below minimum acceptable standards. The Board may only discipline persons currently or formerly licensed with the Board, and it cannot order a licensee to pay money damages to a complainant.

Filing a complaint

Complaints must be submitted in writing:

• Online at me.accessgov.com, or
• By mail to Maine Board of Dental Practice, 143 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0143, or by calling (207) 287-3333

Process overview

1. Document exchange — once docketed, Board staff sends the licensee a copy of the complaint and requests a response within 30 days. The complainant then receives that response and has 10 days to reply (a reply is not mandatory).
2. Investigation — the complaint committee, typically one board member serving as complaint officer, the Board's executive director, the assigned Assistant Attorney General, and an investigator as needed, reviews the complaint and may contact any party for more information.
3. Board recommendation — the committee recommends dismissal, a consent agreement (a negotiated settlement in which the licensee admits to violations and agrees to sanctions), or referral to an adjudicatory hearing conducted under the Maine Administrative Procedure Act.

Possible penalties

• Warning, censure, or reprimand
• License suspension for up to 90 days per violation or occurrence
• License revocation
• Civil penalty of up to $1,500 per violation or occurrence
• Conditions of probation
• Assessment of the actual costs of investigation and/or hearing

Confidentiality and reporting

Complaints and investigative records are confidential during an investigation; the complaint and file become public once the investigation concludes, unless another law requires continued confidentiality. Patient treatment records obtained during an investigation remain confidential indefinitely. The Board posts all Consent Agreements and Decisions and Orders on its website and reports most disciplinary action to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB).

License status and disciplinary history for Maine dental licensees are publicly searchable, free of charge, through the Board's official ALMS (Automated Licensing Management System) Online Services database at pfr.maine.gov/almsonline/almsquery. The database is updated in real time and is the Board's official primary source for license verification.

How to search

• Search by licensee name at ALMSOnline/ALMSQuery/SearchIndividual.aspx?Board=384 to confirm active status and license history.
• Search by case/date at ALMSOnline/ALMSQuery/SearchCase.aspx?Board=384 to look up disciplinary case records directly.

An adverse licensing action may include modifications or conditions attached to a license, discipline of an existing license, or denial of an application. The Board posts copies of all Consent Agreements and Decisions and Orders on its website; for the full text of a specific action, contact the Board at (207) 287-3333 or dental.board@maine.gov.