Michigan Board of Dentistry

The Michigan Board of Dentistry operates within the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL). The Board's statutory authority comes from Part 166 (Dentistry) of the Public Health Code, 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.16601 et seq.), which the Board's administrative rules — Michigan Administrative Code R 338.11101 through R 338.11705 — implement in detail.

The Board consists of 19 voting members: 8 dentists, 2 dental specialists, 4 dental hygienists, 2 registered dental assistants, and 3 public members. Members serve staggered terms; the current roster and each member's term-end date are published through the State of Michigan Boards and Commissions portal.

BPL's mission is to protect, preserve, and improve the health, safety, and welfare of Michigan's citizens through the licensing and regulation of occupational and health professionals. As with every other health-profession board in Michigan, the Board of Dentistry has a Disciplinary Subcommittee (DSC) — a subset of Board members who approve investigations and make the final determination on whether a licensee violated the Public Health Code, and what sanctions to impose.

Board and DSC meetings are open to the public, and the Board publishes its annual meeting schedule, agendas, and minutes on the LARA dentistry page. Online services for Michigan dental licensees — applications, renewals, license verification, and complaints — are provided through MiPLUS, Michigan's Professional Licensing User System.

The Michigan Board of Dentistry, through LARA, issues a broad range of dental credential types. LARA publishes a dedicated Licensing Guide and FAQ PDF for each credential on the LARA dentistry page.

• Dentist — full dental practice license for graduates of a CODA-accredited dental program who pass the required examinations.
• Dental Therapist — a mid-level provider licensed under Part 166 of the Public Health Code who delivers routine care — examinations, treatment planning, cleanings, and fillings — under a written practice agreement with a supervising dentist. A supervising dentist may oversee no more than four dental therapists at a time.
• Registered Dental Hygienist — preventive and clinical hygiene services under a dentist's supervision; specialty certifications and clinical/nonclinical academic limited licenses are also available.
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) — requires passing the RDA examination; clinical/nonclinical academic limited RDA licenses are also issued.
• Dentist Specialty — for dentists board-certified in a recognized dental specialty.
• Dentist Clinical Academic Limited, Educational Limited, and Nonclinical Academic Limited — restricted licenses for dentists practicing in academic, teaching, or nonclinical academic roles affiliated with a dental school.

A dental therapist's written practice agreement with the supervising dentist must address nine specific elements set out in Board rule, including the procedures and settings the therapist may work in, age- and procedure-specific protocols, informed consent and recordkeeping procedures, a medical-emergency management plan, a quality-assurance plan, medication protocols, and referral criteria for care that exceeds the therapist's scope. Dental therapists may practice in traditional offices as well as schools, mobile clinics, and community health centers.

All Michigan dental license applications are filed online through MiPLUS. Requirements vary by credential and application path (by examination, by endorsement, or for those trained in a Canadian province or a non-CODA-accredited school), but every applicant must complete a criminal background check, answer good-moral-character questions, and provide a Social Security number (or an SSN exemption affidavit).

Examination and background requirements

• Education and exams (by examination): official transcripts confirming a DDS or DMD from a CODA-accredited program, National Board scores from the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, and passing written and clinical ADEX scores from CDCA-WREB-CITA or another regional testing agency (non-ADEX exams are not accepted).
• CPR certification: current BLS or ACLS certification for healthcare providers with a hands-on component, earned within the 2 years before licensure.
• Implicit bias training: at least 2 hours, completed within the 5 years immediately preceding issuance of the license.
• Human trafficking training: one-time training in identifying trafficking victims that meets Administrative Rule 338.11271, completed before licensure is issued.
• English language proficiency: established by an English-taught dental program, 60+ college credits from an English-speaking school, or a passing score on an approved English proficiency exam under R 338.7002b(2).

Licensure by endorsement (out-of-state dentists)

Applicants must have held a dentist license in good standing in another state for at least 1 year. Additional requirements depend on how long the applicant has been licensed elsewhere:

• Licensed elsewhere less than 5 years: must have graduated from a CODA-accredited dental program (or completed a qualifying specialty program).
• Licensed elsewhere 5 years or more and that state required a regional or state board exam: submit certified passing scores from that exam.
• Licensed elsewhere 5 years or more with no such exam requirement: pass the ADEX exam, or petition the Board for a determination that the applicant's credentials are substantially equivalent to Michigan's endorsement requirements.

Dentists licensed in a Canadian province follow a separate endorsement pathway requiring certification by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) and an active Canadian license held in good standing for at least 1 year.

Applicants may add a controlled substance license on their initial dentist application, or apply for one separately after the dentist license is issued.

Michigan dental licensees must complete continuing education as a condition of renewal. Requirements are set by Board rule and tracked through CE Broker, which LARA's dental professions page links to directly; applications for board-approved CE sponsor status are also processed through CE Broker rather than LARA directly. LARA publishes annual Approved Continuing Education master lists (2025 and 2026 lists currently available) showing which providers and courses the Board has approved.

Dentists — 60 hours per 3-year cycle (R 338.11701)

• At least 20 hours in programs directly related to clinical issues, including delivery of care, materials used in delivery of care, and pharmacology
• At least 3 hours in pain and symptom management
• 1 hour in dental ethics and jurisprudence, including delegation of duties to allied dental personnel
• 1 hour in infection control, covering sterilization of handpieces, personal protective equipment, and CDC infection control guidelines
• At least 20 of the 60 hours must come from synchronous, live courses or programs
• No more than 30 of the 60 hours may be completed asynchronously (noninteractive)
• Current BLS or ACLS certification for healthcare providers, with a hands-on component

Dental hygienists — 36 hours per 3-year cycle (R 338.11704)

• At least 12 hours directly related to clinical issues, including delivery of care, materials used in delivery of care, and pharmacology
• At least 2 hours in pain and symptom management
• 1 hour in infection control, covering sterilization of handpieces, personal protective equipment, and CDC infection control guidelines
• 1 hour in dental ethics and jurisprudence, including delegation of duties to allied dental personnel
• At least 12 of the 36 hours must come from synchronous, live courses or programs
• No more than 18 of the 36 hours may be completed asynchronously (noninteractive)

A licensee who holds both a registered dental hygienist and a registered dental assistant license must complete 36 total hours, split with at least 12 hours devoted to dental hygienist functions and at least 12 hours devoted to dental assistant functions.

Implicit bias training

Separate from the board-approved CE totals above, licensees and registrants must complete 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of their license or registration cycle — 3 hours across a full 3-year renewal cycle. Unlike the human trafficking training, this is not a one-time requirement and must be repeated every renewal cycle.

Scope of practice for each Michigan dental credential is defined by Part 166 (Dentistry) of the Public Health Code and the Board's administrative rules, both linked from the LARA dentistry page.

• Dentists — full scope of examination, diagnosis, treatment planning, and clinical dental treatment.
• Dental therapists — routine dental care (examinations, treatment planning, cleanings, and fillings) delivered under a supervising dentist's written practice agreement; therapists may not exceed the procedures, settings, or protocols set out in that agreement, and a single dentist may supervise no more than four therapists.
• Dental hygienists — preventive and clinical hygiene services under a supervising dentist's oversight, with clinical/nonclinical academic limited and specialty certification pathways available.
• Registered dental assistants — clinical support delegated by a supervising dentist; radiology functions require the specific 35-hour R.D.A. functions training verification, and local anesthesia and nitrous oxide analgesia administration each require their own training verification forms.

Michigan dental practitioners who prescribe controlled substances must comply with the Michigan Automated Prescription System (MAPS) reporting requirements; LARA's dental professions page links directly to MAPS resources for prescribers.

Complaints against Michigan dental licensees — dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental therapists — are filed with LARA's Bureau of Professional Licensing through MiPLUS.

Step 1: File the complaint

File online at aca3.accela.com/MILARA and select Dentistry as the profession. Include your name and contact information, the licensee's name and profession, a detailed description of the incident (with dates and locations), and contact information for anyone who can provide supporting information. Anonymous complaints are discouraged, since an investigator cannot follow up for more information or records. Your identity as the complainant is kept confidential unless you provide a written release, or disclosure is required at an administrative hearing.

Step 2: BPL reviews and, if warranted, investigates

BPL reviews each complaint to determine whether it describes a possible Public Health Code violation. Based on that review, BPL will request the Board's authorization to investigate, close the complaint with no further action, or refer the matter to another agency (BPL may also coordinate with law enforcement, the Attorney General's Office, or MDHHS). During an investigation, BPL investigators interview relevant parties and gather evidence independently of any parallel investigation by an employer or law enforcement.

Step 3: Resolution

If the investigation cannot substantiate a Public Health Code violation, BPL closes the file and notifies the complainant. If a violation is substantiated, BPL files a formal Administrative Complaint against the licensee — and may summarily suspend the license immediately if public health, safety, or welfare requires emergency action. The licensee may then:

• Admit the facts and agree to a Consent Order, which proceeds to the Board's Disciplinary Subcommittee (DSC) for sanctions
• Request a compliance conference with BPL to negotiate a settlement, subject to DSC approval
• Request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge at the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings & Rules (MOAHR), who issues a Proposal for Decision to the DSC
• Not respond, in which case the licensee is in default and the case proceeds to the DSC

The Disciplinary Subcommittee of the Board of Dentistry makes the final determination on whether the Public Health Code was violated and what disciplinary action to impose. A licensee may appeal a DSC decision to the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Michigan provides two public tools for checking a dental licensee's status and disciplinary history, both linked from LARA's Find/Verify a Licensed Professional page.

1. MiPLUS license lookup

Search the public license lookup at aca-prod.accela.com/MILARA by license type (Dentist, Registered Dental Hygienist, Registered Dental Assistant, Dental Therapist, or a limited/specialty dentist type), licensee name, or license number. Records are updated once per day. Licensees can also order a certified verification letter through the same portal for employers, credentialing bodies, or other state boards.

2. Health License Disciplinary Action Reports

Under the Public Health Code (PA 368 of 1978), LARA's Regulatory and Compliance Division must publish the names of disciplined health licensees. The Disciplinary Action Report (DAR) lists each licensee's name, license number, the type of disciplinary action taken, its effective date, and the general nature of the complaint, and is published by fiscal year (Fiscal Year 25/26 and 24/25 reports are currently posted, with prior years back to FY 21/22 also available). Electronic copies of older reports (1993–2017) are archived through the Library of Michigan's digital collection.

To request administrative documents about a specific licensee, or paper copies of older DAR reports, submit a Freedom of Information Act request to LARA's FOIA Coordinator (PO Box 30004, Lansing, MI 48909; LARAFOIAInfo@michigan.gov; fax 517-335-4037).