Massachusetts Board of Dentistry

Massachusetts licenses and regulates dental professionals through the Board of Registration in Dentistry (BORID), created under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 13, sections 19–21. The Board sits within the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure (BHPL), part of the Department of Public Health, which administers licensing for 21 health-profession boards statewide.

Under M.G.L. c. 13, § 19, the Board consists of 11 members appointed by the Governor: six dentists (each having held a Massachusetts dental license for at least 8 years before appointment), two dental hygienists (5 years licensed), one dental assistant (5 years in the field), and two public members. No more than one dentist member may be a full-time faculty member or trustee of a dental school. Members serve 5-year terms and may serve no more than two full terms; the Governor appoints successors each April as terms expire. The Board also has two advisor seats reserved for dental assistants, appointed annually for 2-year terms, who review and comment on proposed rules affecting dental assistants at least 60 days before publication.

Under M.G.L. c. 13, § 20, the Board holds at least two regular meetings each year in Boston and elects a chair and secretary from its own membership annually. BORID's core responsibilities are licensing dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants; issuing limited, faculty, and anesthesia permits; adopting rules and policies (codified at 234 CMR, divided into nine sections covering definitions, licensure, practice requirements, anesthesia, mobile dentistry, continuing education, and complaint investigations); and investigating complaints against licensees.

The Board of Registration in Dentistry issues the following license and permit types, each governed by 234 CMR and the underlying Massachusetts General Laws chapter 112 sections shown below:

• Dentist (M.G.L. c. 112, § 45) — general practice license for graduates of CODA-accredited dental schools who pass National Board Parts I & II, a regional/state clinical exam, and the Board's jurisprudence exam.
• Dental hygienist (M.G.L. c. 112, § 51) — clinical hygiene license; hygienists may also apply for a Local Anesthesia Permit (Permit L) or a Mobile Dental Facility (MDF)/Portable Dental Operation (PDO) permit.
• Dental assistant (M.G.L. c. 112, § 51½) — issued either on-the-job-trained (with CDC infection-control and radiology certification) or formally-trained/ certified/expanded-function (completion of a Board-recognized program under 234 CMR 4.00).
• Limited license dental intern / limited license dental faculty (M.G.L. c. 112, § 45A) — restricted-scope licenses issued for one year at a time; limited licensees must re-apply annually.
• Facility and individual anesthesia/sedation permits — separate permits required under 234 CMR 6.00 for dentists administering anesthesia or sedation beyond local anesthetic (Permit A: general anesthesia/deep sedation; Permit B: moderate sedation), and for the dental facility itself.
• Mobile Dental Facility (MDF) / Portable Dental Operation (PDO) permits — required under 234 CMR 7.00 for dentists or hygienists practicing mobile or portable dentistry.

License verification for every credential type is available through the Commonwealth's checkahealthlicense.mass.gov portal, the primary-source verification site for all BHPL-issued licenses, registrations, and certifications.

Massachusetts dental license applications are submitted online through the Health Professions Licensing Portal at healthprofessionlicensing.mass.gov. Create an account or log in to an existing one; first-time users of the 2024-updated system should review the Board's Health Professions Licensing System User Guide. Applications remain open for only one year from the initial application date.

Required attachments (dentists and dental hygienists)

• Original transcript or Dean/registrar letter proving graduation from a CODA-accredited program (photocopies not accepted)
• National Board Certification (Part I & II for dentists; National Board Dental Hygiene Examination for hygienists), or authorization releasing scores to Massachusetts
• Proof of a Board-approved regional or state clinical examination
• Current CPR/AED (Professional Rescuer) or Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS) certification
• Answer sheet from the Massachusetts Dental Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam
• A notarized Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Acknowledgment Form, signed in person before a BHPL employee or notary public
• Two signatures from licensed dentists (or dentists/hygienists for hygienist applicants) attesting to good moral character; immediate family may not sign
• A 2”x2” color passport-style photo
• For dentists: proof of MassHealth enrollment as an Order, Refer, and Prescribe (ORP) non-billing provider

Applicants who have ever held a license in another state or jurisdiction must also submit an original Letter of Standing from that jurisdiction's licensing board (photocopies and screenshots are not accepted) and, if applicable, a National Practitioner Data Bank self-query.

Massachusetts Dental Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam

All dentists, dental hygienists, limited license dental interns, and limited license dental faculty must pass this mandatory, open-book jurisprudence exam before licensure (dental assistants take a separate ethics and jurisprudence exam specific to their credential). Request a copy by emailing dentistry.admin@state.ma.us; the Board sends the exam and instructions by return email. Study materials include Massachusetts dental statutes and 234 CMR, OSHA 29 CFR 1910 standards, the ADA and ADHA codes of ethics, ADA sedation/anesthesia guidelines, and the state's amalgam waste regulations (310 CMR 73.00).

Out-of-state and reciprocity applicants

Massachusetts does not offer a shortcut endorsement pathway — every applicant completes the same core requirements (national boards, a regional/state clinical exam, and the jurisprudence exam). Applicants who have practiced or held a license anywhere else must submit certified Letters of Standing from every jurisdiction where they have ever been licensed, plus an up-to-date resume or practice history.

Continuing education is a condition precedent to license renewal under 234 CMR 8.00 (authority: M.G.L. c. 112, §§ 51½, 51A, and 61). CEUs must be earned during the 24 months immediately preceding the renewal deadline and cannot be carried over to the next cycle. Licensees sign a renewal statement, under pains and penalties of perjury, attesting that all required CEUs were completed.

CEU totals by license type

Mandatory subject areas (234 CMR 8.03)

• CDC Guidelines for Infection Control in the Dental Healthcare Setting — every licensee, every cycle
• Continuous certification in CPR/AED (Professional Rescuer) or BLS for Healthcare Providers; licensees who hold an anesthesia permit must instead maintain ACLS or PALS certification commensurate with their permit level
• Dentists who hold a current Massachusetts Controlled Substance Registration (MCSR), a DEA registration, or who otherwise prescribe under M.G.L. c. 94C must complete Board-approved training on safe and effective opioid prescribing/pain management, per M.G.L. c. 94C, § 18(e)

Self-study and category limits (234 CMR 8.05)

No more than half of a licensee's required CEUs may be earned through self-instruction (home study, online, correspondence, audio, or video with a required test) — a maximum of 20 CEUs for dentists, 10 for dental hygienists, and 6 for dental assistants per cycle. Other category caps per cycle include: 20/10/6 CEUs (dentist/hygienist/assistant) for teaching continuing-education courses; 10/5/3 CEUs for faculty or research appointments at a CODA-accredited program; 20/10/6 CEUs for authored papers and presentations; 8 CEUs for table clinics and scientific exhibits; 5/4/3 CEUs for general conference attendance; 5/3/2 CEUs for pro bono service in public health settings; and 5/2/2 CEUs for non-clinical practice-related courses.

Exemptions

• Dental students licensed as dental hygienists while enrolled in a CODA-accredited program
• New graduates of a CODA-accredited dental, dental hygiene, or Board-approved dental assisting program, for the licensing period in which they graduate

Dental practice in Massachusetts is governed by 234 CMR 5.00: Requirements for the Practice of Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, and Dental Assisting, adopted under the authority of M.G.L. c. 94C; c. 111, §§ 51, 51½, and 52; and c. 112, §§ 12CC, 43–53, and 61.

• Dentists — full diagnosis and treatment of oral conditions; dentists who prescribe controlled substances must hold a current MCSR and/or DEA registration and complete opioid-prescribing CE.
• Dental hygienists — preventive and clinical hygiene procedures; may hold a Local Anesthesia Permit (Permit L) to administer local anesthesia, and may practice mobile/portable dentistry under an MDF or PDO permit.
• Dental assistants — scope depends on training pathway: on-the-job-trained assistants complete CDC infection-control training plus a radiological-techniques course, DANB Radiation Health and Safety exam, or the Massachusetts Dental Society Dental Radiology program; formally-trained, certified, or expanded-function assistants complete a Board-recognized program under 234 CMR 4.00.
• Limited license dental interns and faculty — practice restricted to specific clinical or academic settings; licenses issued for one year and must be renewed annually.

Anesthesia and sedation

Dentists administering anesthesia or conscious sedation beyond local anesthetic must hold a separate Individual Anesthesia Permit (Permit A for general anesthesia/deep sedation, Permit B for moderate sedation) issued under 234 CMR 6.00, and the dental office itself must hold a Facility Anesthesia/Sedation Permit. These are inspected for facility compliance by BHPL.

Mobile and portable dentistry

Dentists and dental hygienists who provide care outside a fixed dental office must obtain a Mobile Dental Facility (MDF) or Portable Dental Operation (PDO) permit under 234 CMR 7.00.

Practice ownership and MassHealth

Massachusetts requires dental practice owners to hold an active Massachusetts dental license. Dentists who wish to treat MassHealth (Medicaid) patients must separately enroll with MassHealth, either as a billing provider or as an Order, Refer, and Prescribe (ORP) non-billing provider — enrollment is administered by MassHealth, not the Board.

Anyone — not only patients — can file a complaint against a Massachusetts dental licensee with the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure (BHPL) Office of Public Protection, which oversees 21 health-profession boards including dentistry.

How to file

• Online portal (preferred) — file at healthprofessionlicensing.mass.gov/public-complaints. Be as specific as possible: location, date, the licensee's name and license number, witnesses, and copies of supporting records, correspondence, and photographs. Use a separate submission for each licensee or facility, and note you cannot return to edit a complaint once submitted.
• Paper form — available on request by calling (617) 973-0865 or emailing bhplcomplaints@mass.gov.

What happens after you file

BHPL reviews all available information and may: open a formal complaint and pursue disciplinary action; open a staff-action investigation to determine whether a violation occurred; or close the matter for insufficient evidence, lack of jurisdiction, or no statutory/regulatory violation. A formal complaint may end in dismissal, a non-disciplinary outcome (advisory letter or non-disciplinary stayed probation), or a disciplinary sanction (reprimand, probation, suspension, or revocation). The Board must have clear evidence of a statutory or regulatory violation to impose a sanction.

Investigations typically take one month to three years depending on complexity, particularly when medical records must be requested. The licensee is generally notified and given a chance to respond in writing. Complainants are notified of the outcome unless the complaint was filed anonymously; anonymous complaints are reviewed but may not lead to a full investigation without independent supporting evidence. Cases posing an immediate threat to patient safety receive the highest priority.

Issues outside BHPL's authority

• Fee disputes (such as missed-appointment charges)
• Billing disputes over the amount charged for services
• Personality conflicts, unless they rise to the level of unprofessional conduct

License status and disciplinary history for Massachusetts dental professionals are searched through checkahealthlicense.mass.gov, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services' official eLicensing verification portal for all Bureau of Health Professions Licensure (BHPL) credentials.

How to look up a license

• Go to checkahealthlicense.mass.gov and select "Lookup a License."
• Search by the practitioner's name or license number.
• Review the current license status — categories include Active, Inactive, Suspended, Revoked, and Probation — along with any active disciplinary conditions.
• Bulk licensing data for all BHPL-regulated licensees can be downloaded directly from the portal's "Download License Data" tool.

The portal provides primary-source verification consistent with Joint Commission and NCQA credentialing standards. Phone verification of licensure is not available from BHPL — the online portal is the only lookup channel.

Formal Board decisions

Separately, BORID publishes the signed Final Decisions and Orders it has issued since 2017 as downloadable PDF/Word documents on its disciplinary actions list. For an official certified copy of a document, or a Consent Agreement, submit a public records request to BHPL.