South Dakota Board of Dentistry

The South Dakota State Board of Dentistry is one of twelve regulatory boards operating under the purview of the South Dakota Department of Health. The Board licenses dentists and dental hygienists, registers dental radiographers and registered dental assistants (RDAs), and enforces the statutes and rules governing the practice of dentistry, including facility inspections and the investigation and resolution of complaints.

The Board's mission is to protect the health and safety of the consumer public through the licensure and registration of dental professionals and the enforcement of the statutes, rules, and regulations governing the practice of dentistry.

Under SDCL 36-6A-1.1, the Board is comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor: five dentists who have been in active practice in South Dakota for at least five years, one dental hygienist in active practice in South Dakota for at least five years, and one lay member who has been a South Dakota resident for at least five years and has no significant financial interest in a health profession. Members serve three-year terms beginning October 31 and may serve up to three consecutive full terms (SDCL 36-6A-3). The Board oversees enforcement of SDCL 36-6A (the Dental Practice Act), SDCL 47-12 (dental corporations), and Administrative Rules of South Dakota (ARSD) 20:43, and meets at least three times annually in compliance with South Dakota's open meetings law (SDCL 1-25).

The South Dakota State Board of Dentistry licenses and registers the following practitioner types:

• Dentist — full scope of dental diagnosis and treatment under South Dakota law.
• Dental Hygienist — preventive, diagnostic, and periodontal services; may also hold optional permits to administer local anesthesia and/or nitrous oxide sedation and analgesia.
• Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) — registered to perform expanded dental assisting functions under a dentist's direct supervision.
• Dental Radiographer — registered to take dental radiographs.

The Board also registers dental corporations, limited liability companies, and other business entities formed by licensed dentists under SDCL 47-12, and issues anesthesia and sedation permits — nitrous oxide, local anesthesia, moderate sedation, general anesthesia and deep sedation, host, and permits to monitor patients under anesthesia — to qualified dentists, dental hygienists, and RDAs.

South Dakota dentists and dental hygienists may apply for licensure through one of two pathways, and all applicants must pass a written jurisprudence examination on South Dakota's dental statutes and administrative rules with a cut score of at least 70 percent.

New license (recent exam)

For applicants who passed a patient-based, simulation-based, or manikin-based clinical competency examination within the five years preceding application. Requires a $200 application fee for dentists (ARSD 20:43:03:01) or $140 for dental hygienists (ARSD 20:43:03:08), certified dental or dental hygiene school transcripts, National Board exam scores, a current CPR card, a recent photograph, and completed fingerprint cards for a state and federal criminal background check under SDCL 36-6A-44.1.

Credential verification (out-of-state licensees)

For applicants currently licensed in another state who have completed at least 3,000 clinical practice hours in the five years preceding application. The Board accepts the CRDTS, WREB, CDCA, CITA, or SRTA clinical competency examinations for this pathway. The application fee is $600 for dentists (ARSD 20:43:03:04) or $300 for dental hygienists (ARSD 20:43:03:10).

Jurisprudence examination fee

$300 for dentists and $135 for dental hygienists, paid as part of the application (ARSD 20:43:03:05).

Registered dental assistants and radiographers

RDA registration carries a $45 application fee and requires either current Certified Dental Assistant credentialing through the Dental Assisting National Board or completion of a Board-approved RDA training program (ARSD 20:43:08:03). Dental radiographer registration also carries a $45 application fee and requires verification of at least 16 hours of radiography training (ARSD 20:43:07).

The Board may also issue a temporary registration, for a $100 fee, to an applicant who meets all licensure requirements or the conditions of SDCL 36-6A-49 (ARSD 20:43:03:04.02).

South Dakota dental licensees complete continuing education (CE) on a rolling five-year cycle, even though the license itself must be renewed every year by July 1.

CE category limits (dentists and dental hygienists)

• Home study/online courses: capped at 30 hours per 5-year cycle
• CPR: capped at 15 hours per cycle, credited hour-for-hour toward a current CPR/BLS card
• Practice management: capped at 10 hours per cycle
• Nutrition: capped at 15 hours per cycle
• Clinical: unlimited, including up to 5 hours per cycle for attending exhibits at a state, regional, or national dental conference
• Dental hygienists only: dental radiography CE is required (minimum 5 hours) and capped at 20 hours per cycle

Dentists, dental hygienists, and RDAs must maintain a current CPR card intended for a Healthcare Provider that includes a hands-on skills assessment, meeting American Heart Association or American Red Cross Professional Rescuer standards. CE hours are logged through the Board's online portal at sdboardofdentistry.org/continuingEducation/addCE.asp, and courses requiring prior approval can be submitted using the CE Request Approval Form.

South Dakota dental practice law (SDCL 36-6A) and Board rules (ARSD 20:43) define the authorized scope of activities for each credential type:

• Dentists — full diagnosis and treatment of oral conditions.
• Dental Hygienists — preventive, diagnostic, and periodontal services; may hold optional local anesthesia and/or nitrous oxide sedation and analgesia permits, and may practice under a collaborative supervision agreement in certain settings.
• Registered Dental Assistants — expanded clinical functions under a dentist's direct supervision, distinct from the more limited duties of an unregistered dental assistant.
• Dental Radiographers — authorized to take dental radiographs.

The Board publishes a Scope of Practice Decision Making Framework, and the South Dakota Dental Association separately publishes an annual Delegation/Supervision Guide, to help practitioners evaluate which clinical activities they may perform or delegate.

The South Dakota State Board of Dentistry investigates alleged violations of any law governing dentists, dental hygienists, registered dental assistants, and dental radiographers. Grounds for Board action are set out in SDCL 36-6A-59 and 36-6A-59.1. The Board has no authority under state law to mediate a billing dispute between a dentist and a patient or to intervene in business-practice matters.

Step 1: File a complaint

• Anyone who believes a Board licensee or registrant violated a law governing their practice may file a complaint.
• The complaint must include a detailed written explanation with dates, times, places, and persons involved; a medical records release may be requested from the complainant.
• The Board does not accept anonymous complaints unless an immediate threat to patient health or welfare exists.

Complaint Form: sdboardofdentistry.org/download_resource.asp?id=800. A separate False Advertising Complaint Form is available at sdboardofdentistry.org/download_resource.asp?id=819.

Step 2: Investigation

• Complaints against unlicensed individuals may be referred to the Attorney General's office.
• If the alleged facts would violate the law and the person is licensed or registered with the Board, an investigation begins; the licensee is notified and given an opportunity to respond.
• The existence of a complaint is confidential during the investigation, known only to the investigative team — which may include the Board president, investigators, staff, and the Board's prosecuting attorney — so the remaining Board members stay unbiased.
• Investigators determine whether there is sufficient evidence of a violation by clear and convincing evidence.

Step 3: Final resolution

• Dismissal — no public record is created if a complaint is dismissed for lack of merit or insufficient evidence.
• Agreed disposition — the Board's prosecuting attorney may negotiate a disposition with the licensee; once approved by the Board, it becomes a public record, and a report is made to the National Practitioner Data Bank if required.
• Hearing — if an agreed disposition is not feasible, the case proceeds to a contested case hearing before a hearing examiner, where the licensee has the right to counsel and to examine and cross-examine witnesses. The final order becomes a public record.

License status and disciplinary history for South Dakota dental professionals can be searched through the Board's Verify Licensee portal at sdboardofdentistry.org/verify.asp. The Board designates this portal as the primary source verification for South Dakota dental licensure.

How to search

• Enter a first name, last name, or a portion of either; you may also search by all or part of a license or registration number.
• Results display the license/registration number, name, credential type, status, original issue date, valid-through date, any permits held, and public information.
• If there is disciplinary action on record, the result is flagged.

Published Board actions

In addition to the verification portal, the Board separately publishes a running list of formal disciplinary actions — including the licensee's name, license number, credential type, status, effective date, and a description of the underlying complaint and sanction — at sdboardofdentistry.org/Public/complaints/board-actions.asp. Sanctions on this list have included letters of reprimand, practice restrictions, mandated remediation and continuing education, reimbursement of investigation costs, license suspension, and voluntary surrender of license. Complaints that are dismissed, by contrast, create no public record.