Minnesota Dental Licensing and the Compact

Minnesota's licensure-by-credentials rule fits on one page. That makes the route easy to read, but it does not leave much room: the practice test is measured in hours over a short, recent window, and any disciplinary action in another state, pending or final, makes an applicant ineligible.

Minnesota has also enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. As in every member state, compact privileges are not yet being issued, so a dentist moving to Minnesota still needs a Minnesota license.

What does Minnesota require for licensure by credentials?

Minnesota Rules part 3100.1400 applies to "a person who is currently a licensed dentist, dental therapist, or dental hygienist in another United States jurisdiction or Canadian province." A dentist must provide the Board with:

1. a completed application and a current government-issued ID;
2. the fee in Minnesota Statutes section 150A.091, subdivision 9;
3. evidence of graduating from a CODA-accredited dental school;
4. "proof of completing at least 2,000 hours within the past 36 months in active practice in another United States jurisdiction, Canadian province, or United States government service";
5. evidence of passing a clinical examination for licensure in another US jurisdiction or Canadian province;
6. evidence of passing all parts of a national board examination;
7. "evidence of passing the board's jurisprudence examination within the past five years";
8. current CPR certification; and
9. a criminal background check under Minnesota Statutes section 214.075.

Subpart 2 adds the condition that rules people out: the applicant "must not be subject to any pending or final disciplinary action in another United States jurisdiction or Canadian province."

How do the 2,000 hours work?

The window is the 36 months before you apply, and the hours must be in active practice in another jurisdiction or in US government service. Two thousand hours over three years averages to about 13 hours a week, so many part-time dentists can meet it. The risk is a recent gap: a dentist who stopped practicing a year ago has only 24 months left in the window. Our post on years-of-practice rules for licensure by credentials compares Minnesota's test with other states'.

Why does the five-year jurisprudence window matter?

Minnesota requires a pass on its own jurisprudence exam within the past five years. A dentist who held a Minnesota license years ago and passed the exam then still needs a recent pass. See dental jurisprudence and law exams by state.

Which fees apply in Minnesota?

Section 150A.091, subdivision 9 sets the licensure-by-credentials application fees:

• Dentist: $893
• Dental hygienist: $235
• Dental therapist: $340
• Dental assistant: $71

Minnesota also licenses dental therapists, and its credentials rule covers dentists, therapists and hygienists together. See hygienist license by credentials.

How do sedation and anesthesia certificates work?

Minnesota issues board certificates for general anesthesia and for moderate sedation under Minnesota Rules part 3100.3600, subpart 18. These are separate from the license. The same rule bars dental therapists, hygienists and licensed dental assistants from administering general anesthesia, deep sedation, moderate sedation or minimal sedation, and requires licensees to report a serious or unusual outcome from sedation or anesthesia within ten business days. The compact would not change any of this: CSG's FAQ says sedation and anesthesia permits must still be obtained in each state. See dental sedation and anesthesia permits by state.

Does Minnesota use a CE portfolio?

Minnesota uses a professional development portfolio. Under Minnesota Rules part 3100.5100, dentists and dental therapists need 50 hours in each initial or biennial cycle, at least 30 of them "fundamental" activities and no more than 20 elective. Hygienists and licensed dental assistants need 25 hours, at least 15 fundamental. A dentist who holds a general anesthesia or moderate sedation certificate has added hours. See dental CE requirements across states.

What does Minnesota's compact membership mean today?

Minnesota is one of 13 states that have enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. The Council of State Governments says the compact "has reached activation status, however compact privileges are not yet being issued." There is no application, fee or launch date. See why the dental compact is not issuing privileges yet.

Where do we fit into a Minnesota application?

Our Dentist License by Credentials service is $799 for Minnesota. We total your hours inside the 36-month window, confirm your clinical exam and National Board records, schedule the jurisprudence exam, arrange the background check, 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. A sedation certificate is $699, and a hygienist license is $449. Board fees are separate. See the Minnesota requirements page or begin with the $149 Dental Licensure Readiness Review.