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 Montana
- Montana applicants must hold a current CPR, ACLS or PALS card, and an internet course counts only with a hands-on skills check.
- Radiology certificates from other states stopped counting for assistants who began work in Montana after January 1, 2016.
Can a dentist licensed elsewhere get a Montana license by credentials?
Montana repealed its dentist credentials rule in 2024 and now uses the general endorsement statute. An applicant with an active license in good standing from a state with substantially equivalent qualifications may be licensed; the board can weigh actual experience against any gap. Every state ever licensed sends a verification directly.
- Licensure by credentials available
Citation: Mont. Code Ann. 37-1-304; ARM 24.138.550
Which clinical exams does Montana accept?
ADEX lists Montana as accepting its dental exam for initial licensure. An application built on a clinical exam outside the board's criteria is reviewed as nonroutine.
- ADEX accepted
Does Montana require a jurisprudence exam?
Every applicant passes the Montana jurisprudence exam with a score of at least 75 percent before a license issues.
- Jurisprudence or law exam
Is Montana in the dental compact?
Montana is not a dental compact member.
- Not a compact member
Does Montana require a sedation permit?
Montana issues a moderate sedation permit and a deep sedation/general anesthesia permit, each with a $200 application fee and a $200 initial inspection fee. Permit holders take 12 (moderate) or 20 (deep/GA) hours of anesthesia CE within their 60 hours.
- Separate sedation permit
What hygienists need to know in Montana
Hygienists use the same endorsement statute. Local anesthetic certification is separate: a board-approved written and clinical local anesthesia exam within five years, or coursework plus proof of administering local anesthesia in another state within five years.
- Hygienist licensure by credentials
- Local anesthesia permit for hygienists
Do dental assistants need a Montana registration?
Montana does not license dental assistants. Auxiliaries work under direct supervision; a certified dental assistant may work under general supervision. Exposing radiographs takes an accredited program, military radiology certification or a board-approved radiology exam; other states' radiology certificates are not accepted for new assistants.
- No assistant registration
Does Montana offer a temporary or restricted dental license?
Montana offers a volunteer license for dentists and hygienists who treat patients without compensation.
- Temporary or restricted license available
How often does a Montana dental license renew?
Licenses renew annually. Dentists complete 60 CE hours per three-year cycle and hygienists 36, and every licensee keeps a current CPR, ACLS or PALS card.
- Renews every year
- 60 CE hours per cycle
Licensing in Montana?
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.
Sources
- compact (Montana not listed)
- clinicalExam.adexAccepted
- credentials (37-1-304 endorsement, substantially equivalent)
- credentials (24.138.505 and 506 repealed), exams.jurisprudence (75 percent), sedation (permit and inspection fees, anesthesia CE), hygienist (local anesthetic certification), assistants (24.138.406 radiography), temporaryLicense (volunteer license), renewal (CE hours, annual renewal, CPR card)
- credentials.citation (NEW RULE I adopted as 24.138.550), renewal (NEW RULE II adopted as 24.138.2110)