Montana Board of Dentistry

The Montana Board of Dentistry operates within the Business Standards Division (BSD) of the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI). Per the Department's most recent Governor's Report, the Board's mission is "to protect the health, safety and well-being of Montana citizens through the regulation of the practices of dentistry, dental hygiene, and denturitry." As of June 30, 2023 (the most recent published figure), the Board served 1,883 licensees.

The Board is made up of 10 members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate:

• Five dentists
• One denturist
• Two dental hygienists
• Two members of the general public

Individual board members can be reached by email at dlibsdden@mt.gov (specify which member you'd like to contact). Additional information on board member terms is available through the Governor's Office, Boards and Councils.

The Board's statutory authority comes from Title 37, chapter 4, MCA (dentistry and dental hygiene) and Title 37, chapter 29, MCA (denturitry), implemented through administrative rules at ARM Title 24, chapter 138. Board meetings are held throughout the year with online and phone attendance options; meeting notices are posted at boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/dentistry.

The Montana Board of Dentistry licenses three professions in Montana, under Title 37 of the Montana Code Annotated:

• Dentists (including Dentist Volunteer and Restricted Non-Resident Volunteer variants)
• Dental Hygienists (including Dental Hygienist Volunteer)
• Denturists

Qualified dentists may add an optional Moderate Sedation Permit or Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia Permit endorsement. Qualified dental hygienists may add an optional Local Anesthesia Permit or Limited Access Permit (LAP), the latter allowing hygienists to practice under public health supervision rather than a dentist's direct oversight.

Current license status for any Montana dental professional can be verified through the DLI License Search at ebizws.mt.gov/PUBLICPORTAL/searchform.

Montana dental license applications are submitted through the state's Accela-based online portal at aca-prod.accela.com/POL (part of the eBiz/POL licensing system). The Board offers two initial-licensure pathways.

Licensure by examination

Under ARM 24.138.502 (dentists) and 24.138.503 (dental hygienists), applicants must have:

• Passed the written exam administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (or successor)
• Passed a board-approved regional clinical practical exam (ADEX, CDCA-WREB-CITA, or equivalent), valid for five years from the date of passage; patient-based or simulated patient-based components are both accepted
• Graduated from a dental (or dental hygiene) school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation
• A current CPR, ACLS, or PALS card (internet courses accepted if paired with a hands-on skills evaluation)

Licensure by credentials (out-of-state / reciprocity)

Under ARM 24.138.505 (dentists) and 24.138.506 (dental hygienists), the Board will license an applicant without an additional clinical exam — only the jurisprudence exam is required — if the applicant:

• Submits license verifications from every jurisdiction where they are or have been licensed
• Demonstrates active, clinical direct-patient-care practice totaling 3,000 hours within the preceding 5 years, including at least 6 months immediately before applying
• Submits certificates showing at least 60 hours of continuing education completed in the 3 years immediately preceding application
• Submits a self-query of the National Practitioner Data Bank and discloses any unresolved or adverse disciplinary history
• Holds a current CPR, ACLS, or PALS card
• Pays the application fee, jurisprudence exam fee, and credentialing fee

Jurisprudence examination

All applicants must pass the Board's open-book jurisprudence exam with a score of at least 75%. The exam is provided as a document to applicants upon submission of their application (also available at boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov/_docs/den/juris-exam.pdf). A $85.00 jurisprudence exam fee applies at application.

A prior criminal conviction does not automatically bar licensure. Under § 37-1-203, MCA, a license cannot be denied solely because of a past conviction unless the offense relates to public health, welfare, or safety as it applies to the profession and the Board finds the applicant has not been sufficiently rehabilitated.

Montana continuing education requirements are set by ARM 24.138.2110, adopted new effective September 21, 2024 as part of a Board-wide rule simplification effort. Licensees must obtain the following CE hours on a three-year cycle (the current cycle uses a 2015 baseline start date), though licensees affirm their CE compliance as part of each annual renewal:

• Dentists: 60 hours per 3-year cycle
• Dental Hygienists: 36 hours per 3-year cycle
• Denturists: 36 hours per 3-year cycle

Subject-matter add-ons

• Dentists who hold an anesthesia permit must complete, as part of their 60 hours, 20 hours of deep sedation/general anesthesia education or 12 hours of moderate sedation education, matching their permit type
• Dental hygienists who qualify for limited prescriptive authority (fluoride agents, topical oral anesthetics, nonsystemic oral antimicrobials) must complete 3 of their 36 hours on that subject matter
• Dental hygienists who hold a Limited Access Permit must complete 12 additional hours beyond the base 36

All licensees, regardless of type, must separately maintain a current CPR, ACLS, or PALS card; internet-based courses are accepted if they include a hands-on skills evaluation. CE requirements do not begin until a licensee's first full year of licensure.

The Department audits a statistically determined percentage of licensees each cycle. Licensees found out of compliance may face administrative suspension, and CE hours used to satisfy a delinquent period cannot be reused for the next cycle. Questions about CE requirements can be directed to (406) 444-5696 or AUDIT@MT.GOV.

Montana's Title 37 defines separate scopes of practice for each credential the Board of Dentistry regulates.

Dental Hygienists

Under § 37-4-401, MCA, dental hygiene practice generally occurs under the general supervision of a licensed dentist and covers educational, therapeutic, and preventive procedures as defined by Board rule. Certified hygienists may administer local anesthetic agents, and hygienists who qualify for limited prescriptive authority may prescribe fluoride agents, topical oral anesthetics, and nonsystemic oral antimicrobials (none of which are controlled substances) — either under a dentist's general supervision or, for Limited Access Permit holders, under public health supervision. Hygienists may not diagnose, create treatment plans, perform surgical procedures beyond root planing and subgingival curettage, or perform restorative, prosthetic, or orthodontic procedures.

Denturists

Under § 37-29-102, MCA, the "practice of denturitry" covers making, fitting, constructing, altering, reproducing, repairing, furnishing, or supplying dentures, and taking impressions, bites, casts, or designs for that purpose. Under § 37-29-402, MCA, denturists may not extract teeth, initially insert immediate dentures, diagnose or treat abnormalities (other than applying tissue-conditioning agents), recommend prescription drugs, or construct/fit orthodontic appliances; under § 37-29-406, MCA, they must refer patients to a dentist for tooth cleaning, mouth preparation, and any necessary x-rays before making and fitting a partial denture. Montana is one of only six states that separately licenses denturists, and the Board reports roughly two dozen active denturist licensees statewide.

For specific scope-of-practice questions, consult Title 37 of the Montana Code Annotated and ARM Title 24, chapter 138, both available through the Professional Boards and Licensing website at boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov, or contact the Board's Executive Officer at dlibsdden@mt.gov. Board staff cannot provide legal advice, including an opinion on whether a specific act falls within scope.

DLI's Business Standards Division and the Board of Dentistry are responsible for acting on unprofessional, incompetent, or unlawful practice by dental licensees. Investigators and legal staff are impartial fact-finders and do not represent either the complainant or the licensee.

How to file

File electronically using the Online License Complaint Form. Paper complaints can be mailed to the Compliance Unit, P.O. Box 200514, Helena, MT 59620-0514, or emailed to DLIBSDCOMPLAINTS@MT.GOV. Include as much detail and documentation as possible. Licensees who need to self-report an issue can use the separate Licensee Self Report form.

Before filing: dispute resolution

Patients with disagreements about the appropriateness, quality, or fees of dental treatment may also use the Montana Dental Association's voluntary Peer Review program, available regardless of whether the dentist is an MDA member. Request the process using the Mediation Request Form available from the MDA, or call (406) 443-2061.

Confidentiality

A complaint is shared with its subject, who is asked to respond. During review and investigation, the complaint and related documents are treated as confidential. Dismissed complaints remain confidential, while final disciplinary orders are public and searchable through the DLI License Search.

Anonymous complaints

Generally not accepted for formal disciplinary action — the Department needs evidence in the form of a document or statement. If a complainant's own statement is the only evidence, their testimony may be required at a hearing. Anyone with serious safety concerns about identifying themselves should contact the Compliance Unit directly to discuss options.

What happens after filing

Staff first confirm the complaint falls within the Board's legal authority. If so, investigators gather information through written responses, witness interviews, or document review. A Department attorney then presents the case to a Board screening panel, which may dismiss the case or find reasonable cause for disciplinary action, triggering a formal Notice of Proposed Board Action. A licensee may resolve the matter by stipulated agreement or request a contested hearing before an independent hearing officer, which results in a recommendation to a separate adjudication panel for a final order. Sanctions — reprimand, fines, restriction, suspension, or revocation — are authorized by § 37-1-312, MCA; the Board cannot award money damages. Both the complainant and licensee receive written notice of the outcome, though the complainant is not a formal party to the case and cannot appeal a screening panel's decision.

Questions about the complaint process can be directed to DLIBSDCOMPLAINTS@MT.GOV or (406) 841-2362.

License status and disciplinary history for Montana dental professionals are searched through the DLI License Search (also called the Licensee Lookup System) at ebizws.mt.gov/PUBLICPORTAL/searchform. The tool returns current license status and any final, publicly available disciplinary orders for dentists, dental hygienists, and denturists.

The Board's disciplinary authority comes from § 37-1-312, MCA. Sanctions range from a reprimand or fine to restriction, suspension, or revocation of a license, depending on severity. Cases are resolved either through a stipulated agreement or a contested hearing process that produces a final order from the Board's adjudication panel (see the complaint-process section for the full workflow).

Anyone needing an official, letter-form confirmation of a licensee's status — for an employer, another state board, or similar purposes — can submit a free License Verification Request using the licensee's license number; the Department will send the verification by email or mail at no charge.