Arizona Dental Licensing

Arizona licenses dentists through the State Board of Dental Examiners, established under A.R.S. section 32-1203. For a dentist licensed elsewhere, the first question is not how many years you have practiced. It is how old your clinical exam is.

Which Arizona route fits your clinical exam?

A.R.S. section 32-1233 says an applicant for licensure must have passed the written national dental board examinations, "a clinical examination administered by a state or regional testing agency in the United States within five years preceding filing the application," and the Arizona dental jurisprudence examination.

If your clinical exam is within that five-year window, you apply on it. If it is older, section 32-1240 lets the Board "by rule ... waive the examination requirements" for an applicant who "has passed the clinical examination of another state or testing agency more than five years before submitting an application," as long as that state or agency "maintains a standard of licensure that is substantially equivalent to that of this state as determined by the board." That is Arizona's licensure by credential.

So a dentist four years out of school and a dentist twenty years out use different routes, even if both are licensed and practicing elsewhere. See ADEX and which clinical exams each state accepts.

What does licensure by credential require?

Section 32-1240 tells the Board to set, by rule:

1. "A minimum number of active practice hours within a specific time period" before you apply, with the Board defining active practice; and
2. "An affirmation that the applicant has completed the continuing education requirements of the jurisdiction where the applicant is licensed."

The statute caps the licensure by credential fee at $2,000, "as prescribed by the board." The exact hour count and current fee are in the Board's rules and fee schedule, so confirm both before you apply. See years-of-practice rules for licensure by credentials.

What does every Arizona applicant need?

• The jurisprudence exam. Section 32-1232 requires a written application with "a nonrefundable Arizona dental jurisprudence examination fee of $300." See dental jurisprudence and law exams by state.
• A fingerprint clearance card. Each candidate "shall also obtain a valid fingerprint clearance card issued pursuant to section 41-1758.03." See fingerprints and background checks for dental licenses.
• A clean record elsewhere, or a plan to explain it. The Board may deny an application if your dental license was revoked by another state's board for conduct that would be unprofessional in Arizona, if you are under suspension or restriction elsewhere, or if you surrendered a license in lieu of discipline.

One provision pauses applications outright: the Board "shall suspend an application" if the applicant "is currently under investigation by a dental regulatory board in another jurisdiction," and will neither issue nor deny until the investigation is resolved. An open investigation in another state holds up an Arizona application until it is resolved. See disclosing discipline on a dental application.

How does renewal work in Arizona?

Arizona renews dentists every third year. Under section 32-1236, a license "expires thirty days after the licensee's birth month every third year," and the renewal fee is set by Board vote at no more than $650. At renewal you affirm by affidavit that you comply with the Board's continuing education rules; a dentist first licensed within the year before expiration is excused from that affidavit. See keeping several dental license renewals on one calendar.

Are sedation permits separate?

Yes. Section 32-1207 directs the Board to set criteria for renewing general anesthesia and sedation permits, and lets it adopt rules on the education and experience needed to give intravenous or intramuscular sedation or general anesthesia. Plan the permit as its own application. See dental sedation and anesthesia permits by state.

Is Arizona in the dental compact?

No. Arizona has not enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, and no state is issuing compact privileges yet. See the dental compact hub.

How do we help with Arizona?

We start by dating your clinical exam to pick the route. A credential file is our Dentist License by Credentials service at $799; an exam-based file is the $899 Full State Dental License Application. Either way we match your hours to the Board's current rule, assemble your CE affirmation, start the fingerprint clearance card early, and give you a question-by-question guide to the application. You sign, pay the Board and submit it yourself, and you take the jurisprudence exam yourself. Sedation permits are $699 each. Board and clearance card fees are separate. See the Arizona requirements page or start with the $149 Dental Licensure Readiness Review.