How many years of practice does Texas require for licensure by credentials?

At least three of the five years immediately before you apply, or five years as a dental educator at a CODA-accredited dental school immediately before applying.

Which clinical exam scores does Texas accept?

Your license must have followed a general dentistry clinical exam given by another state or regional examining board. The Board says it currently validates ADEX and CRDTS-SRTA scores, and anyone examined after January 1, 2019 also needs periodontics and prosthodontics sections.

Do I need to list an old dental assistant registration?

Yes. Texas requires you to self-report every license, permit or registration you have held, including dental assistant registrations, with a sealed verification for each. A canceled Texas RDA registration also needs a notarized affidavit.

How much is the Texas credentials fee?

The total is $2,945 under the fee figure in 22 TAC section 102.1(a): a $2,915 board fee plus Texas Online, prescription monitoring and peer assistance charges. The jurisprudence assessment is a separate $54.

Texas Dental License by Credentials

Texas charges $2,945 to license a dentist by credentials, so it pays to get the file right the first time. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE) issues a dental license by credentials to a dentist who is already licensed elsewhere, has practiced recently, and whose original license rests on the kind of clinical exam Texas recognizes. There is no compact shortcut: Texas is not a member of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, and the compact is not issuing privileges anywhere yet.

The rules are clear, but the file is long, and the most common problems involve the clinical exam you took years ago and the license verifications Texas insists on.

Who qualifies for licensure by credentials in Texas?

According to the Board's licensure-by-credentials page, on top of the general license requirements, you must be "currently licensed as a dentist in good standing in another state, District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States provided that such licensure followed a successful completion of a general dentistry clinical examination administered by another state or regional examining board."

You must also have practiced dentistry:

for at least three of the five years immediately preceding your application, or
as a dental educator at a CODA-accredited dental school for the five years immediately preceding your application.

Three of five is a moving window. A dentist who stepped away for two years and has just returned may not yet count three full years inside it. Our post on years-of-practice rules for licensure by credentials walks through the math.

Which clinical exam does Texas look for?

The Board asks for "proof of completion of a general dentistry clinical examination administered by another state or regional examining board." It electronically validates scores made available to it and says it "currently validates scores from ADEX and CRDTS-SRTA." Mailed score reports must stay in the original sealed envelope.

There is one more condition that catches recent graduates. "Pursuant to TSBDE Rule 101.2(e), an applicant who takes an examination after January 1, 2019, must also successfully complete the periodontics and prosthodontics sections of an exam approved by a designated regional examining board." If your exam skipped a periodontal section, as many did during the pandemic, read the Board's note on that period before you apply.

If your first license came through a residency rather than a clinical exam, as in New York, you have no regional or state clinical exam score to offer. Ask the Board how it will treat your file before you pay the fee. See ADEX and which clinical exams each state accepts for the wider picture.

What goes into the Texas credentials file?

Jurisprudence Assessment. "Proof of completion of TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment for dentists without sedation dated within one year immediately prior to application submission." The assessment fee is $54.
Human trafficking prevention course. Since October 1, 2021, applicants must complete a course approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and submit the certificate with the application.
Continuing education. Twelve hours taken within the preceding 12 months: at least 8 technical or scientific hours related to clinical care, up to 4 hours of risk management and up to 4 hours of self-study.
Data bank reports. A National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query and an American Association of Dental Boards (AADB) self-query report. See the NPDB and AADB clearinghouse in a dental application.
BLS. A current Basic Life Support CPR card that "must include hands on demonstration of skills."
Education and boards. An official CODA dental school transcript in its sealed envelope, and National Boards Parts I and II or the INBDE.
A 2x2 passport photo and identification that meets the Board's REAL ID rules.
Fingerprints. Once the complete application arrives, the Board emails instructions to schedule a fingerprinting session.

Why do license verifications stall Texas files?

Texas asks about more than dental licenses. Its credentials page says you "MUST self-report your previously issued dental assistant registration, nurse, pharmacy technician, etc. from any other state or country including the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners." For each license you have ever held, you need a verification showing the license number, date issued, current status, expiration date and any discipline. "A copy of the license alone is not acceptable," and the verification "must be received in its own sealed unopened envelope from the issuing entity."

If you once held a Texas registered dental assistant registration that was canceled, you must answer yes to license history question 2 and include a signed, notarized affidavit explaining the cancellation. Forgetting an old assistant registration from dental school is one of the easiest ways to stall a Texas file. License verifications for dentists and hygienists covers ordering them from other boards.

How much does a Texas license by credentials cost?

The fee figure in 22 TAC section 102.1(a), published in the Texas Register on December 13, 2024, sets these totals:

Dentist licensure by credentials: $2,945 ($2,915 board fee plus Texas Online, prescription monitoring and peer assistance add-ons)
Dentist application by exam: $360
Temporary licensure by credentials: $895
Dentist renewal: $443.50
Jurisprudence: $54
Dental hygienist licensure by credentials: $642

The credentials fee is the largest single cost in most Texas files, which is one more reason to confirm eligibility before paying. See what dental license fees look like across states.

Is there a temporary license by credentials?

Only for a narrow group. The Board's page says a Temporary License by Credentials "allows a dentist to practice only as an employee of the non-profit organization specified on the application." You must meet all the standard credentials requirements and also provide proof of Texas residency and verification from every state, territory, Canadian province or country where you have been licensed. It is not a way to start work while a regular application is pending. For other short-term options, see temporary and volunteer dental licenses.

Are there other Texas license types?

The Board's dentist licensing pages list several routes besides credentials: license by exam, a license for foreign-educated graduates, military licensing, a faculty license ($258 under the fee figure), a temporary license for charitable purpose and a volunteer charity care authorization. Each has its own application. Military applicants have a separate set of instructions on the Board's site. See dental licensing for military spouses and faculty and restricted dental licenses.

Do sedation permits come with the Texas license?

No. A Texas dentist "shall obtain an anesthesia permit issued by the TSBDE" for nitrous oxide/oxygen inhalation sedation, Level 1 minimal sedation, Level 2 moderate enteral sedation, Level 3 moderate parenteral sedation and Level 4 deep sedation or general anesthesia. You must already hold a Texas license in good standing to apply. The fee figure lists $32 each for nitrous oxide and Level 1 permits and $260 each for Levels 2, 3 and 4. If you are approved for Level 2, 3 or 4, nitrous and Level 1 are approved with it. See dental sedation and anesthesia permits by state.

What happens at renewal?

Texas licenses renew every two years. After the first biennial renewal, you need at least 24 hours of continuing education per biennium: at least 16 technical or scientific, up to 8 in risk management and up to 8 of self-study. At renewal you also need current BLS and must have "taken and passed the correct Jurisprudence Assessment." Our renewal calendar post shows how to keep Texas in step with your other licenses.

How can we help with a Texas file?

Our Dentist License by Credentials service is $799 for Texas. We check your clinical exam against the Board's wording and the 2019 periodontics and prosthodontics rule, count your three-of-five years, list every license and registration you have ever held and order each verification, line up the jurisprudence assessment and human trafficking course, and give you a question-by-question guide to the application. You answer the questions, sign, pay the Board and submit it yourself; you also take the jurisprudence assessment yourself. Sedation permits are $699 each, and Jurisprudence Exam Logistics is $249. The $2,945 Board fee and fingerprint costs are separate. See the Texas requirements page or start with the $149 Dental Licensure Readiness Review.