# california dental license pathways

Answer: California licenses dentists through four routes: licensure by credential (BPC §1635.5 — five years of practice immediately preceding the application, no clinical exam and no Law & Ethics exam), licensure by ADEX examination, licensure by residency (BPC §1634.1, one-year CODA GPR/AEGD, clinical exam waived), and, for non-CODA foreign graduates, a two-academic-year advanced-standing degree before either exam or residency pathway. There is no reciprocity, and SB 1453 repealed the portfolio pathway effective January 1, 2025.

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Answer intent ID: `california-dental-license-pathways`
Cluster: State-scale dental references
Last verified: 2026-07-28
Reviewer: see source page

## Direct answer

California licenses dentists through four routes: licensure by credential (BPC §1635.5 — five years of practice immediately preceding the application, no clinical exam and no Law & Ethics exam), licensure by ADEX examination, licensure by residency (BPC §1634.1, one-year CODA GPR/AEGD, clinical exam waived), and, for non-CODA foreign graduates, a two-academic-year advanced-standing degree before either exam or residency pathway. There is no reciprocity, and SB 1453 repealed the portfolio pathway effective January 1, 2025.

## Query patterns

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Source citations:
- `CA-PATHWAYS-BPC-1635-5` Business & Professions Code §1635.5 (licensure by credential, as amended by SB 1453 eff. 2025-01-01). primary. Verified 2026-07-28. <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=1635.5>
- `CA-PATHWAYS-BPC-1634-1` Business & Professions Code §1634.1 (licensure by residency). primary. Verified 2026-07-28. <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=1634.1>
- `CA-PATHWAYS-BPC-1632` Business & Professions Code §1632 (examination requirement, ADEX). primary. Verified 2026-07-28. <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC&sectionNum=1632>
- `CA-PATHWAYS-DBC-LBC` Dental Board of California — Licensure by Credential pathway (clinical practice). primary. Verified 2026-07-28. <https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/pathways/clinical_practice.shtml>
- `CA-PATHWAYS-DBC-LBR` Dental Board of California — Licensure by Residency. primary. Verified 2026-07-28. <https://www.dbc.ca.gov/applicants/licensure_by_residency.shtml>

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