# Kentucky dental license requirements

> Source-backed dentist licensure pathway, exam, residency, endorsement, reciprocity, and official-board signals for Kentucky.

URL: https://dentovio.com/dental-license-requirements/kentucky

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Dentovio is not a dental board. Confirm current application forms, education rules, exam acceptance, score windows, jurisprudence requirements, endorsement eligibility, reciprocity, credentialing, fees, and foreign-trained exceptions directly with Kentucky Board of Dentistry.

## Direct answer

For dentist license requirements in Kentucky, Dentovio's sourced licensure record highlights education/pathway language, exam signals, and any residency, endorsement, reciprocity, or credentialing notes it could isolate. Education/pathway signal: CODA residency (GPR / postgraduate general dentistry) pathway ACCEPTED — no repeat of dental school required. Kentucky offers a distinct 'Licensure by International Training' pathway for graduates of non-CODA-accredited (foreign) Exam signal: National Board Dental Examination (iNBDE / NBDE) + one regional clinical examination taken within the 5 years preceding application: CDCA-WREB-CITA, CRDTS, DLOSCE, or SRTA. TOEFL required if English is not the applicant's primary language. Confirm current requirements, application forms, score windows, endorsement eligibility, and foreign-trained exceptions with Kentucky Board of Dentistry.

## Education and pathway signal

CODA residency (GPR / postgraduate general dentistry) pathway ACCEPTED — no repeat of dental school required. Kentucky offers a distinct 'Licensure by International Training' pathway for graduates of non-CODA-accredited (foreign) dental schools: applicant completes TWO years of post-graduate training in a CODA-accredited general dentistry program (a residency), rather than an advanced-standing DDS/DMD.

## Exam signal

National Board Dental Examination (iNBDE / NBDE) + one regional clinical examination taken within the 5 years preceding application: CDCA-WREB-CITA, CRDTS, DLOSCE, or SRTA. TOEFL required if English is not the applicant's primary language. Kentucky jurisprudence exam also required. (WREB retired 12/31/2022; CDCA-WREB-CITA is the merged successor.)

## Endorsement, reciprocity, or credentials signal

Dentovio did not isolate a licensure-by-endorsement, reciprocity, credentialing, or portability signal in this sourced state record. Verify current out-of-state license options directly with the dental board.

## Residency signal

Residency or advanced education is flagged as a possible pathway signal in the sourced state record; verify degree, program, exam, and applicant-status conditions with the board.

## Notes

Clearest residency pathway of the five. Confirmed on the official board Initial Licensure page: 2-year CODA-accredited general dentistry postgraduate program + regional clinical exam + TOEFL (if applicable). Board contact: (502) 429-7280.

## Official sources

- <https://dentistry.ky.gov/Dentists/Pages/Initial-Licensure.aspx>
- <https://dentistry.ky.gov/Documents/IDLF0124.pdf>
- <https://www.ada.org/~/media/Project/ADA%20Organization/ADA/ADA-org/Files/Education/Licensure%20by%20State/Kentucky_Licensure>

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