Missouri Board of Dentistry

The Missouri Dental Board is one of the professional licensing boards housed within Missouri's Division of Professional Registration, a unit of the Department of Commerce and Insurance (DCI). The Board's stated mission is direct: “The Missouri Dental Board exists to protect the public.”

Under Section 332.021, RSMo, the Board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate: five registered and currently licensed dentists, one registered and currently licensed dental hygienist, and one public member. Each appointee (other than one filling an unexpired term) serves a five-year term. The dental hygienist member's voting authority does not extend to determinations on the issuance of a dentist's certificate of registration or license. Nominees for the five dentist seats are drawn from a list of five qualified candidates that the president of the Missouri Dental Association submits to the division director before each vacancy.

As of this writing, the Board's members are:

• Jennifer Williams Tinnel, D.D.S. — President, Kansas City, MO
• William Kane, D.D.S. — Vice President, Dexter, MO
• Victoria Anne Schwinke — Secretary, Public Member, Jefferson City, MO
• Calvin Mott, D.M.D. — Member, Rolla, MO
• Virginia A. Mennemeyer, D.D.S. — Member, Troy, MO
• Rolfe McCoy, D.M.D. — Member, Chillicothe, MO
• Shannon Covington, RDH — Member, Lake St. Louis, MO

MOPRO — Missouri's online licensing portal

The Board uses the MOPRO system, which launched January 14, 2025, as the state's unified platform for license management. MOPRO lets licensees apply, renew, pay fees, update contact information, and (depending on profession) track continuing education hours — all through a single account at mopro.mo.gov.

Additional Board programs

• Well Being Program — the Board strongly encourages dental professionals impaired by illness, substance abuse, or a physical or mental condition to seek help through the Missouri Dental Well Being Program, administered by Heather Johns, LCSW (573-632-5562).
• Veterans' Reimbursement — eligible veterans applying for initial dental licensure may qualify for reimbursement of licensing examination fees through the Division of Professional Registration's Veterans Reimbursement program.
• Opioid Resources — the Board maintains opioid-related guidance for dental practices at pr.mo.gov/dental-opioid-resources.asp.

The Missouri Dental Board issues the following primary credential types, drawn from the MOPRO licensee database and the Board's fee schedule (20 CSR 2110-2.170):

• Dentist — standard license to practice dentistry
• Dental Specialist — for dentists who have completed a residency in an ADA-recognized specialty
• Dental Hygienist — license to practice dental hygiene under dentist supervision
• Limited Teaching License — for dentists employed as instructors in an accredited Missouri dental school; practice is confined to the school's programs under Section 332.425, RSMo
• Volunteer Dentist / Volunteer Dental Hygienist — limited-purpose licenses for charitable or volunteer dental services

Permits and Expanded Function (EF) credentials

Beyond the primary license, the Board issues a range of permits:

• Dental Hygienist permits — Administration of Nitrous Oxide Analgesia, and Local Anesthesia
• Dental Assistant permit — Monitoring of Nitrous Oxide Analgesia
• Dentist sedation/anesthesia permits — Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia and Moderate Sedation (Enteral, Parenteral, or Pediatric), each requiring a separate individual permit and site certificate
• Expanded Function (EF) credentials — issued to both dental hygienists and dental assistants in five categories: EF-Restorative I, EF-Restorative II, EF-Removable Prosthodontics, EF-Fixed Prosthodontics, and EF-Orthodontics, each authorizing a defined set of additional procedures under supervising-dentist oversight

Missouri dental license applications are processed through the MOPRO portal at mopro.mo.gov. You need a current email address on file with the Board to register for a MOPRO account; new applicants without one on file should contact the Board first. Under Section 332.181.2, RSMo, an application remains active for one year after the Board receives it and becomes void if not completed within that period.

Examination requirements

Missouri licenses dentists and dental hygienists by examination under Chapter 332, RSMo, and 20 CSR 2110-2.050. To qualify, an applicant generally must:

• Have graduated from an accredited dental or dental hygiene school
• Have passed the National Board Examination
• Have passed a state or regional entry-level clinical competency examination within the previous five years
• Pass the Board's written jurisprudence examination on Missouri dental laws and rules with a grade of at least 80%
• Hold current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) for the Healthcare Provider, or an equivalent approved by the Board (online-only BLS courses are not accepted)
• Complete a Missouri State Highway Patrol/FBI fingerprint background check

Results of the jurisprudence examination can be retrieved using an assigned PIN at the Board's Dental Practice Act Rules and Laws Examination lookup page.

Out-of-state licensees (licensure by credentials)

Under Section 332.211, RSMo, the Board shall grant a license without examination to a dentist who has been licensed in another state for at least five consecutive years immediately before applying, provided the Board is satisfied the applicant's qualifications are at least equivalent to Missouri's initial licensure requirements and the applicant is at least 21 years old and of good moral character. The Board may still require the Missouri jurisprudence examination, and may require a practical examination if the applicant's license was ever denied, revoked, or suspended for incompetency in any state, or if the applicant has ever failed a practical licensure examination.

Veterans' licensing examination reimbursement

Eligible veterans applying for initial dental licensure in Missouri may qualify for reimbursement of licensing examination fees through the Division of Professional Registration's Veterans Reimbursement program, linked from the Board's website.

Missouri's continuing education requirements for dentists and dental hygienists are set out in 20 CSR 2110-2.240. The Board uses CE Broker as its official continuing education management system; per 20 CSR 2110-2.071(4), licensees must report CE documentation to CE Broker before their license expires or during the renewal process.

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

• One CE hour is granted for every 50–60 minutes of contact (academic or clinical) instruction.
• Excess hours may be carried forward into the next renewal period, up to 25 hours for dentists and 15 hours for dental hygienists.
• A dentist or hygienist licensed by credentials (not examination) during the second year of a renewal cycle needs only half the standard hours (25 for dentists, 15 for hygienists) for that first renewal.
• Full-time instructors earn 10 CE hours per year; part-time instructors earn 5 CE hours per year.
• Licensees who present continuing education through a board-approved sponsor earn 2 CE hours per hour of an original presentation, up to 16 hours per year.
• Records documenting CE completion must be retained for at least 6 years after the reporting period.

Setting up CE Broker

• Visit cebroker.com/plans and choose a plan.
• Enter your license number to link the account to your Board record.
• A Basic account is free — the Board states licensees will never have to pay for a CE Broker Basic Account. Upgraded accounts add CE tracking and course-search tools for a subscription fee.

The Board may grant a waiver or extension (up to the next renewal period) for licensees who cannot complete CE hours due to illness, military service, foreign residency, or similar circumstances beyond their control — written requests must be submitted at least 45 days before the end of the renewal period.

Scope of practice for Missouri dental professionals is defined by Chapter 332, RSMo (the Dental Practice Act) and the Board's rules under 20 CSR 2110. The full text is available at pr.mo.gov/dental-rules-statutes.asp.

Dentists and dental specialists

A Missouri dentist license authorizes the full scope of dental practice defined in Chapter 332. A Dental Specialist license reflects completion of postgraduate training in an ADA-recognized specialty area.

Dental hygienists

Dental hygienists practice under dentist supervision. A dental hygienist may also hold permits for administering local anesthesia or nitrous oxide analgesia, and may obtain Expanded Function (EF) credentials authorizing additional procedures under supervising-dentist oversight.

Dental assistants

Dental assistants may obtain a permit to monitor nitrous oxide analgesia, and may obtain the same five Expanded Function (EF) credential categories available to hygienists:

• EF-Restorative I
• EF-Restorative II
• EF-Removable Prosthodontics
• EF-Fixed Prosthodontics
• EF-Orthodontics

Limited Teaching License

Under Section 332.425, RSMo, a dentist holding a Limited Teaching License may practice dentistry only within the confines of an accredited Missouri dental school's programs. The license is automatically cancelled if the holder stops working as an instructor there.

Complaints about licensed dental professionals in Missouri are submitted directly to the Missouri Dental Board by mail. The Board is a regulatory agency: it can discipline a licensee only for specific conduct set out in law, and only if it can prove that conduct with legally admissible evidence.

How to file a complaint

1. Download the Complaint Packet Information sheet and the Uniform Complaint Report form from pr.mo.gov/dental-complaint-forms.asp.
2. Type or neatly print all complaint information in black ink, with as much detail about the complaint and your dental experience as possible, and sign the form — unsigned or incomplete forms are returned, delaying processing.
3. Mail the completed form to: Missouri Dental Board, P.O. Box 1367, Jefferson City, MO 65102.

By submitting a complaint, you authorize the Board to obtain records from the dentist you are complaining against, and from any previous or subsequent treating dentists. The licensee will receive a copy of your complaint and will be asked to respond and provide their own copies of your records.

Questions about the complaint process can be directed to the Board at 573-751-0044. Concluded disciplinary actions are published at pr.mo.gov/dental-recent-discipline.asp.

Missouri splits license verification and disciplinary history across two tools on the Board's site.

License verification — MOPRO Licensee Search

Current license status for any Missouri dental professional can be verified through the MOPRO Licensee Search at mopro.mo.gov/license/s/license-search. The tool provides what the state describes as “Primary Source Verification of licensure” — data pulled directly from the Division of Professional Registration's licensing database and updated nightly. Select the Dentistry profession category, then search by county, profession, name, or license number (you must supply at least one criterion). If you cannot locate a licensee or have questions about the results, the Board recommends contacting it directly.

Disciplinary history — Recent Discipline page

Formal disciplinary orders against Missouri dental licensees are published as individual PDF documents, listed alphabetically by licensee name, at pr.mo.gov/dental-recent-discipline.asp. Each entry links to the underlying disciplinary order or settlement document and shows the date it was last modified/posted.