Getting a New York Dental License

New York breaks the usual pattern of dental licensing. Most states accept a clinical exam such as ADEX for a first license. New York does not. Since 2007, every applicant for an initial New York dental license has needed a residency, and the State Education Department (NYSED) Office of the Professions says plainly that "a clinical (practical) examination such as NERB will not be accepted for initial licensure after December 31, 2006." ADEX's own acceptance map lists New York, with Delaware, as a jurisdiction that does not accept the ADEX dental exam for initial licensure.

For a dentist already licensed in another state, New York offers a second route, licensure by endorsement, with its own practice-time test.

Who qualifies through the residency route?

NYSED's license requirements page says that "beginning January 1, 2007, all applicants for initial licensure must complete an approved dental residency program of at least one year's duration." The program must be accredited for teaching purposes by an acceptable national accrediting body, and NYSED must receive verification of completion directly from the residency program director.

The residency can be in general dentistry or in a clinical specialty: endodontics, oral and maxillofacial pathology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics or prosthodontics. NYSED suggests confirming with your program director that the program participates in this route to licensure.

This route also applies to dentists licensed in another state who did complete an approved residency. NYSED says that if you have fulfilled the requirements "by completing an approved residency program," you apply on the residency basis, not by endorsement. See the PGY-1 residency route to a dental license for how other states treat the same residency.

What does endorsement require?

If you are licensed in another US jurisdiction or a Canadian province and did not complete a qualifying residency, NYSED "may endorse that license" if you:

• meet New York's education requirements;
• "practiced lawfully for at least two years (full-time) following initial licensure," with eight months of that practice in the two years before you apply;
• "have passed an examination satisfactory to the board" under the Commissioner's Regulations;
• are at least 21;
• are of good moral character; and
• complete coursework or training in identifying and reporting child abuse from a New York State approved provider.

The eight-month recency test trips up dentists who took time away. Two full-time years from a decade ago do not qualify on their own if you have not practiced in the last two years. Our post on years-of-practice rules for licensure by credentials compares New York's test with other states'.

Which forms does an endorsement file need?

NYSED lists the documents you "must submit, or have submitted on your behalf":

1. Application for Licensure (Form 1) with the licensure and first registration fee of $377.
2. Certification of Professional Education (Form 2), completed by your dental school.
3. Verification of Other Licensure/Certification (Form 3) from the other jurisdictions.
4. Personal Affidavit of Professional Practice of Endorsement Applicants (Form 4).
5. Supporting Affidavit of Professional Practice (Form 4A) to document two years of full-time practice.
6. A certificate of completion or exemption for the child abuse identification and reporting training.

National Board scores for Parts I and II must come to the Department directly from the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations. NYSED also tells applicants, "It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material." Much of the waiting in a New York file can be for third parties: schools, other boards and the people completing Form 4A.

New York also requires infection control training, according to the license requirements page. See license verifications for dentists and hygienists for how to get other boards to respond quickly.

Can I work in New York while my license is pending?

Only in narrow settings. A limited permit ($105, Form 5) lets a graduate of a dental college who meets New York's education requirements practice under the supervision of a New York licensed dentist, and only in a registered school of dentistry or dental hygiene, or in a hospital or dental facility with an accredited dental residency program. NYSED says no permit is issued without a bona fide offer of a position, a supervising dentist must be on the premises whenever the permit holder provides services, and "you may not begin practice until a limited permit has been issued." It is not a general bridge into private practice.

Is sedation covered by the license?

No. To use general anesthesia, deep sedation or conscious sedation (parenteral or enteral, with or without inhalation agents), a New York dentist "must meet additional requirements and obtain a dental anesthesia/sedation certificate from the State Education Department." Plan the certificate as its own application. See dental sedation and anesthesia permits by state.

How does New York CE work after licensure?

New York registers dentists in three-year periods. NYSED says dentists must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education in each three-year registration period, and hygienists 24. New licensees normally get a pass for their first registration period, but not endorsement licensees: NYSED says licensees "granted licensure by endorsement of a license from another jurisdiction" must begin CE right away. See dental CE requirements across states.

Is New York part of the dental compact?

No. New York has not enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, and no state is issuing compact privileges yet. A New York license comes only by residency or endorsement. The dental compact hub tracks the compact.

How do we help with a New York application?

A dentist coming in by endorsement uses our Dentist License by Credentials service at $799. We check your two-year and eight-month practice math, prepare Forms 1, 4 and 4A for your review and signature, send Forms 2 and 3 to your school and other boards with tracking, and confirm the child abuse and infection control coursework. A new graduate applying on a residency uses the $899 Full State Dental License Application. You sign every form, pay NYSED and submit; we never need your login. The NYSED fee and other boards' verification fees are separate. A sedation certificate is $699. See the New York requirements page or begin with the $149 Dental Licensure Readiness Review.