Verified October 9, 2026 against the practice act, board rules and sources cited below. The board decides every application. All states
What dentists miss in Minnesota
- Credentials applicants are interviewed by the board.
- Minnesota licenses dental assistants and offers them a credentials route as well.
- Any incident in which minimal sedation slips deeper, for a dentist without a sedation certificate, must be reported to the board within ten business days.
Can a dentist licensed elsewhere get a Minnesota license by credentials?
Dentists and hygienists licensed in another state or Canadian province can apply by credentials and are interviewed by the board. They need all National Board components, 2,000 practice hours in the last 36 months and a clean record, and must show the minimum dental knowledge required; denials can be appealed.
- Licensure by credentials available
- Practice required: At least 2,000 hours of active practice within the 36 months before applying (or a board-approved reentry program)
Citation: Minn. Stat. § 150A.06, subd. 4
Which clinical exams does Minnesota accept?
Exam applicants need a board-approved clinical exam, the National Boards and the board's jurisprudence exam, each passed within the past five years. ADEX lists Minnesota as accepting its dental exam.
- ADEX accepted
Does Minnesota require a jurisprudence exam?
Exam-route applicants pass the board's jurisprudence exam on Minnesota dental law and rules within five years before applying.
- Jurisprudence or law exam
Is Minnesota in the dental compact?
Minnesota has enacted the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact (2024), but no state issues compact privileges yet. Practicing here takes a Minnesota license.
- Compact enacted, not issuing
Does Minnesota require a sedation permit?
The board issues general anesthesia and moderate sedation certificates, pediatric endorsements, and a certificate to provide dentistry with a contracted sedation provider, with practice, equipment and on-site inspection requirements. Nitrous oxide needs its own training and application.
- Separate sedation permit
Does Minnesota issue specialty licenses?
The board grants specialty licenses in CODA-recognized specialties to dentists who finished an accredited specialty program and have 2,000 hours of practice or training in the prior 36 months.
- Specialty license or permit
What hygienists need to know in Minnesota
Hygienists use the same credentials route as dentists. Hygienists, therapists and licensed dental assistants may not give general anesthesia or any level of sedation, and have their own nitrous oxide training and application rules.
- Hygienist licensure by credentials
Do dental assistants need a Minnesota registration?
Minnesota licenses dental assistants who graduate from a CODA program and pass the board exam, and offers licensure by credentials to CODA graduates or DANB-certified assistants who meet expanded function equivalency requirements.
- Assistant or EFDA registration
Does Minnesota offer a temporary or restricted dental license?
A guest license, renewed yearly, lets dentists, hygienists and assistants licensed and practicing elsewhere treat underserved patients at a board-approved nonprofit public health setting. Faculty and resident licenses also exist.
- Temporary or restricted license available
How often does a Minnesota dental license renew?
Licenses renew on a 24-month cycle tied to the birth month. Dentists log 50 hours of professional development per cycle, at least 30 fundamental; hygienists and licensed assistants log 25. Each licensee keeps a portfolio, and extra hours do not carry forward.
- Renews every 2 years
- 50 CE hours per cycle
Licensing in Minnesota?
For a license, we prepare every supporting document and a question-by-question guide, request your verifications, and track it to a decision; you complete, sign and submit the application. License by credentials is $799 per state.