New Jersey Board of Dentistry

New Jersey dental professionals are regulated by the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry, created in 1915 (L.1915, c.146) and continued under N.J.S.A. § 45:6-1. The Board operates within the Division of Consumer Affairs, part of the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, which oversees 51 professional and occupational boards and committees statewide. Executive Director Joanne Magrath leads the Board's staff.

Per the Board's published FAQ, members are appointed by the Governor to four-year terms and, when fully seated, the Board consists of eight dentists, one dental hygienist, two public members, and one government liaison member — twelve seats in total. As of the Board's most recently published roster (last modified January 2026), the seated members are nine dentists, one dental hygienist, and one public member, with one public-member seat and the government-liaison seat currently vacant.

The Board's stated purpose is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the people of New Jersey by regulating the practice of dentistry and ensuring that it is performed in compliance with state law. It does so by setting educational and examination requirements for licensure, investigating and disciplining licensees who violate the law, and requiring all dentists, hygienists, and registered dental assistants to renew their credentials every two years. The Board meets for a full day, twice a month, at the Division's offices in Newark, with open sessions for public business and closed sessions for investigatory and disciplinary matters, consistent with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act.

The New Jersey State Board of Dentistry, within the Division of Consumer Affairs, issues the following credential types:

Primary licenses and registrations

• Dentist — requires a separate Branch Office registration for each additional practice location
• Dental Hygienist — also requires Branch Office registration for hygienists working at multiple locations
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) — registration for assistants performing expanded procedures
• Limited Registered Dental Assistant and Limited Registered Dental Assistant in Orthodontics (LRDAO) — restricted-scope registrations
• Resident Permit, One-Year Permit, and Three-Year Permit — for dental graduates in residency training or on limited authorization
• Dental Assistant Internship — entry-level training authorization
• Limited Teaching Certificate — for dentists in academic teaching roles

Specialty permits

Under N.J.A.C. 13:30-6.1(c), a dentist must hold a Board-issued specialty permit before announcing or advertising practice in any of the following recognized special areas of dentistry:

• Endodontics
• Oral or Maxillofacial Surgery
• Oral or Maxillofacial Radiology
• Oral Pathology
• Orthodontics
• Pediatric Dentistry (Pedodontics)
• Periodontics
• Prosthodontics
• Public Health

Anesthesia and sedation permits

• Local Anesthesia Permit (and Branch Permit)
• Enteral Sedation Permit (and Branch Permit)
• Parenteral Conscious Sedation Permit (and Branch Permit)
• General Anesthesia Permit (and Branch Permit)

New Jersey no longer accepts paper applications for a Dental License, Resident Permit, Dental Hygiene License, or Dental Assistant registration — any paper application received is returned to the applicant, who is redirected to apply online.

Before applying

• Graduate from a dental or dental hygiene program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association. Graduates of non-CODA foreign dental programs must complete two additional years of CODA-approved training and receive a D.D.S. or D.M.D. to qualify; there is no equivalent foreign-training pathway for dental hygienists.
• Report your National Board Dental Examination scores (Parts 1 and 2) to the Board.
• Pass the ADEX or NERB clinical examination — New Jersey has recognized the American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) clinical exam administered by the North East Regional Board (NERB) or another state or regional board since September 2005.
• Submit to fingerprinting and a Criminal History Background Check (CHBC), required by law for all health care applicants — start this early, since results typically take one to three weeks after your fingerprint appointment.
• U.S. citizenship is not required. New Jersey law allows individuals of any citizenship status, including undocumented individuals, to obtain a professional license, and a Social Security number is not required.

Jurisprudence requirement

Instead of a scored jurisprudence exam, New Jersey requires every applicant to complete an online Jurisprudence Orientation Program before a license is issued, per N.J.A.C. 13:30-1.2. Separate orientation programs exist for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. The orientation walks through the statutes and regulations governing dental practice in New Jersey and requires the applicant to answer a set of questions, in one sitting, based on that material; a confirmation is generated on submission for the Board's records.

Application phases and typical timeline

Out-of-state and reciprocity applicants

Dentists licensed in another state may qualify for a New Jersey license through one of two pathways, provided the out-of-state license is in good standing (a suspended or revoked out-of-state license disqualifies the applicant):

• Licensure by examination — applicants who completed National Boards Parts 1 and 2 and the NERB or ADEX clinical examination within the last five years qualify directly. If more than five years have passed since that exam, the applicant must submit a complete employment history for full Board review.
• Licensure by credentials — applicants who have held a valid license in another state or jurisdiction for at least five years and completed an examination the Board considers comparable to the NERB exam. A list of qualifying states is available from the Board office at (973) 504-6405.

An application fee of $250.00 applies to out-of-state applicants seeking licensure by examination or by credentials.

New Jersey sets continuing education (CE) requirements by regulation for each credential type, to be completed within the biennial renewal period preceding renewal: N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.1 (dentists), N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.2 (dental hygienists), and N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.3 (registered dental assistants and limited registered dental assistants in orthodontics).

Dentist mandatory hours (of the 40 total)

• 3 hours CPR
• 3 hours pharmacology and internal medicine
• 1 hour professional ethics and New Jersey law
• 1 hour prescription opioids
• 2 hours infection control and prevention

Hygienist and RDA/LRDAO mandatory hours

• 3 hours CPR
• 1 hour professional ethics and New Jersey law
• 1 hour prescription opioids
• 1 hour infection control and prevention

Recent graduates

A dentist who graduates during the first year of the biennial cycle must complete 20 hours (including the 10 mandatory hours) for that renewal; a dentist who graduates during the second year of the cycle is exempt from CE for that renewal. Hygienists follow the same pattern at 10 hours. Registered dental assistants and LRDAOs must always complete the full 10 hours, including mandatory coursework, regardless of when they were registered or graduated.

The Board may, at its discretion, waive up to half of the required hours for donated dental services provided to eligible persons (dentists: N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.1(n); hygienists: N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.2(g); RDAs/LRDAOs: N.J.A.C. 13:30-5.3(g)). Mandatory coursework cannot be waived, and licensees must retain proof of completion of all CE.

Dental practice in New Jersey is governed by N.J.A.C. 13:30, the Administrative Code chapter for the State Board of Dentistry, and by Title 45, Chapter 6 of the New Jersey Revised Statutes.

Specialty practice

A dentist may only announce or advertise practice in a dental specialty after obtaining a Board-issued specialty permit under N.J.A.C. 13:30-6.1. The Board grants specialty permits to dentists who are certified — or eligible for certification — by an ADA-recognized specialty board in one of nine designated areas: endodontics; oral or maxillofacial surgery; oral or maxillofacial radiology; oral pathology; orthodontics; pediatric dentistry (pedodontics); periodontics; prosthodontics; and public health. The permit, or a copy, must be displayed at every office location during the period of specialty practice.

Anesthesia and sedation tiers

New Jersey regulates anesthesia and sedation in four permit tiers, each with progressively greater training, equipment, and oversight requirements:

• Local Anesthesia — base level
• Enteral Sedation — oral/enteral route sedation
• Parenteral Conscious Sedation — IV route conscious sedation
• General Anesthesia — highest tier, requiring the most extensive training and facility standards

Multi-location practice (Branch permits)

Dentists and dental hygienists who practice at more than one location must obtain a Branch Office registration for each satellite location in addition to their primary license; anesthesia and sedation permits likewise require a separate Branch permit for each location where sedation is administered.

Complaints against New Jersey dental licensees are submitted to, and investigated by, the Division of Consumer Affairs. The Board receives numerous complaints per month from consumers, other agencies, law enforcement, and insurance investigators, and each one is investigated.

How to file

• Online — submit at njconsumeraffairs.nj.gov/board-complaints, linked from the Board's Complaint Forms page.
• A Spanish-language complaint form is also available from the same page.
• Call the Board at (973) 504-6405 with questions before filing, or to request a form.

What to include

• Name and address of the licensee the complaint is against
• Names and addresses of any other treating dentists or facilities
• Your name, address, and phone number
• Approximate treatment dates and details of the complaint
• Supporting copies — billing statements, treatment records, correspondence, or promotional materials (do not send originals)

What happens next

The Board sends the licensee a copy of the complaint and requests a written response along with patient records. Depending on the allegations, the Board may arrange — at its own expense — for the patient to be examined by an independent Board consultant, or refer serious safety allegations directly to the Division's Enforcement Bureau for investigation. Final disposition of the investigative stage typically takes nine to twelve months or longer; cases requiring a formal Administrative Complaint take substantially longer. You will be notified by mail of the final outcome.

Possible outcomes

If the Board finds a violation of the Dental Practice Act or Board regulations, it may impose a reprimand, license suspension or revocation, restitution, probation or remedial education, investigative costs, and monetary penalties of up to $10,000 for a first violation and up to $20,000 for each subsequent violation (N.J.S.A. 45:1-25). Restitution is limited to the patient's out-of-pocket cost of the original treatment and does not cover insurance-paid amounts, pain and suffering, or the cost of redone work — those claims must be pursued in civil court.

New Jersey dental license status and disciplinary history are searched through the Division of Consumer Affairs' real-time License Verification System at newjersey.mylicense.com/verification/Search.aspx.

How to search

• Choose Person Search to look up an individual dentist, hygienist, or dental assistant, or Business Search for entities licensed in a business name.
• Select the license type and search by name, license number, or city — the system returns real-time, current license status.
• Formal disciplinary actions — including suspensions, revocations, and probationary conditions — become part of the public license record once finalized by Consent Order, Settlement Letter, or Final Order of the Board.

Bulk license data or verification requests can be downloaded through the portal's roster tool rather than searched individually. Licensees can also use the related system to submit an Online Change of Address Form to keep their license record current.