North Dakota Board of Dentistry

The North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners (NDSBDE) is North Dakota's dental regulatory agency. Its roots trace to an 1885 territorial law requiring a dental certificate to practice (T.L. 1885, Ch. 43); the Board's duties were expanded when North Dakota became a state in 1889. The Board's authority comes primarily from North Dakota Century Code Chapters 43-28 (dentists) and 43-20 (dental hygienists and dental assistants), and from North Dakota Administrative Code Title 20.

The Board is composed of nine members: six practicing dentists, one practicing dental hygienist, one practicing registered dental assistant, and one consumer member. Members are appointed by the Governor for five-year terms and may be reappointed to a second five-year term. The Board holds quarterly meetings in addition to committee meetings, public rulemaking hearings, and emergency or special meetings as needed. The Board is funded entirely by licensing and renewal fees and receives no money from the state's general fund.

The Board's powers include drafting and proposing rules and legislation, setting continuing education requirements, renewing licenses and registrations, investigating complaints, and disciplining licensees for violations of law. The Board does not have authority to require a patient to pay a dental bill, require a dentist to issue a refund, or require a dentist to provide a particular treatment.

The Board is legally distinct from private dental associations such as the North Dakota Dental Association (NDDA), the North Dakota Dental Assisting Association (NDDAA), and the North Dakota Dental Foundation (NDDF). Membership in those organizations is optional and has no bearing on Board licensure.

The North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners licenses and registers the following practitioner categories:

• Dentist — full scope of dental practice under NDCC ch. 43-28.
• Dental Hygienist — preventive, diagnostic, and periodontal services performed under the supervision of a licensed dentist, as defined by NDAC 20-04-01.
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) and Qualified Dental Assistant (QDA) — supervised clinical support duties defined by NDAC 20-03-01.
• QDA – Limited Radiology Registrant (QDA-LRR) and Dental Anesthesia Assistant (DAA) — specialized registrations with narrower duty lists.

Dentists and dental hygienists may also apply for specialty permits, including general anesthesia/deep sedation, moderate parenteral or enteral sedation, dermal fillers and botulinum toxin (dentists only), local anesthesia, nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia, restorative functions, and anesthesia assistant duties (available to hygienists and RDAs).

North Dakota dental license and registration applications are submitted directly to the NDSBDE. Applications must be notarized (or accompanied by a valid driver's license, U.S. passport, or armed-forces ID issued within the last five years), include a signed photo taken within six months, and be accompanied by the nonrefundable application fee. Applicants must also complete a statewide and nationwide criminal history background check, and the Board may query the National Practitioner Data Bank and other data sources.

License by Examination

Applicants who have passed a Board-approved clinical competency exam (CRDTS, CITA, WREB, or ADEX/CDCA) and the National Board exam administered by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations — or the equivalent Canadian board — within five years (two years for hygienists) of application may apply by examination. Dentist applications must be completed within six months of filing; dental hygienist applications within twelve months. See NDCC § 43-28-10.1 (dentists) and NDCC § 43-20-01.2 (hygienists).

License by Credential (out-of-state licensees)

Dentists who have actively practiced for the five years immediately preceding application in a jurisdiction with substantially equivalent requirements may apply by credential under NDCC § 43-28-15. Dental hygienists need three years of immediately preceding active practice under NDCC § 43-20-01.3, plus 16 hours of continuing education completed within 24 months before application. Both pathways require a certified self-query from the National Practitioner Data Bank and current CPR/BLS certification.

Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination

All applicants must pass the Board's online Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination before licensure. There is no separate fee to take the exam, and successful completion earns two hours of continuing education credit. The exam becomes accessible once the Board receives the applicant's application and fee.

The North Dakota State Board of Dental Examiners requires continuing education (CE) as a condition of license and registration renewal. Requirements are set out in NDAC 20-02-01-06 (dentists), NDAC 20-04-01-08 (dental hygienists), and NDAC 20-03-01-06 (registered/qualified dental assistants and dental anesthesia assistants).

CE hours by license type

At least half of a licensee's required hours must be "live" — obtained through in-person classroom attendance or a live remote/electronic webinar with real-time interaction between presenter and attendee. The remainder may be completed through independent self-study, such as pre-recorded online programs or self-paced printed material.

• New dentist and dental hygienist graduates licensed by examination within 24 months of a renewal deadline are exempt from CE, since their CODA-accredited education satisfies the requirement — but CPR/BLS (and ACLS/PALS if required) must still be current at all times.
• New RDAs and QDAs are similarly exempt from CE within 24 months of graduating a CODA-accredited program, earning a DANB CDA certificate, or completing DANB's NELDA exam.
• Licensees who hold specialized permits, such as anesthesia or dermal fillers/botulinum toxin, must complete any additional CE required for that permit — for example, 4 hours of anesthesia/sedation-related CE to renew an anesthesia permit.

North Dakota law and Board rule define the authorized scope of practice for each credential type:

• Dentist — the full range of dental services authorized under NDCC ch. 43-28 and NDAC Title 20-02.
• Dental Hygienist — removal of accumulated matter from natural and restored tooth surfaces, polishing, and topical application of drugs to the mouth and teeth, performed under the supervision of a licensed dentist as set forth in NDAC 20-04-01. Hygienists may also hold permits for local anesthesia, nitrous oxide inhalation analgesia, restorative functions, or anesthesia assistant duties.
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) — duties listed in NDAC 20-03-01-01(5), including monitoring patients under nitrous oxide analgesia under indirect supervision.
• Qualified Dental Assistant (QDA) and QDA – Limited Radiology Registrant — duties listed in NDAC 20-03-01-01(4) and 20-03-01-01(3), respectively.
• Dental Anesthesia Assistant (DAA) — duties listed in NDAC 20-03-01-01.1, granted under criteria in NDAC 20-03-01-01.2.
• Unregistered Dental Assistant — limited duties under NDAC 20-03-01-01(1); students enrolled in a Board-approved dental assisting program may perform QDA-level duties under direct supervision.

Anyone may file a complaint against a North Dakota dentist, dental hygienist, or dental assistant with the NDSBDE. The Board strongly encourages use of its official complaint form, which helps it gather the information needed to investigate efficiently.

Step 1: Submit the complaint

Download and complete the complaint form, including any supporting documentation such as patient records, images, or insurance and billing statements.

Step 2: Board review

After receiving a complaint, the Board seeks a response from the practitioner and may contact either party for more information. Because the Board must follow North Dakota's open-meetings and public-records laws, complaints can only be discussed at the Board's noticed public meetings, generally held once per quarter. To protect sensitive information such as patient records, complaints are first discussed in a confidential executive session; once the Board decides discipline is warranted, that matter moves to the public portion of the meeting.

Step 3: Outcome

The Board provides written notice of its decision to each party once its investigation is complete. Complainants should direct questions to Board staff, not to individual Board members.

Anonymity is not guaranteed. Under NDCC § 43-28-18.2, a complainant "may file a written and signed complaint," and anonymous submissions may substantially reduce the Board's ability to investigate while limiting the practitioner's opportunity to respond.

License status and disciplinary history for North Dakota dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants can be searched through the Board's Verification & Roster tool at nddentalboard.org/verify/.

How to search

• Select a License Type — Dentist, Dental Hygienist, or Dental Assistant (a required field).
• Search by license number, or by a full or partial last name — entering only the first few letters improves your odds of a match if you are unsure of the spelling.
• Optional filters include first name, city, and ADA specialty (for example, orthodontics, periodontics, or oral and maxillofacial surgery).
• Disciplinary history, if any, is displayed directly in the licensee's record.

The tool covers practitioners currently or recently licensed in North Dakota; if a name doesn't appear, contact the Board directly, since all current licensees are included in the database.

Requesting a bulk list of licensees

The Board will provide a list of licensees — including license number, date licensed, and expiration date, but never Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or personal contact information — free of charge by email, in pipe-delimited or CSV format. Submit a written request or the List Request form to the Board by mail or email; requests are typically fulfilled weekly.