# Rhode Island dental license requirements

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

URL: https://dentovio.com/dental-license-requirements/rhode-island

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 Rhode Island Board of Examiners in Dentistry (RI Department of Health).

## Direct answer

For dentist license requirements in Rhode Island, 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: For full/general licensure: advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD only. Applicants must present evidence of graduation from a dental school accredited by CODA (or its designated agency) — R.I. Gen. Laws 5-31.1-6(b)(1) and 216-RICR-40-05-2.4.6(A)(3). Exam signal: NBDE Parts I & II (or iNBDE); ADEX exam (including the periodontal portion) within 5 years of application, scored via CDCA methods; OR a Board-approved equivalent clinical exam with 75% in each area; Confirm current requirements, application forms, score windows, endorsement eligibility, and foreign-trained exceptions with Rhode Island Board of Examiners in Dentistry (RI Department of Health).

## Education and pathway signal

For full/general licensure: advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD only. Applicants must present evidence of graduation from a dental school accredited by CODA (or its designated agency) — R.I. Gen. Laws 5-31.1-6(b)(1) and 216-RICR-40-05-2.4.6(A)(3). No GPR/AEGD residency-to-full-license pathway exists in the current rules, so a non-CODA foreign graduate must complete a CODA advanced-standing DDS/DMD. NOTE: a 2026 bill (S2862) creating a supervised LIMITED-license pathway for foreign-trained dentists passed the RI Senate on June 4, 2026 but had not been signed into law as of these sources — verify current status with the Board.

## Exam signal

NBDE Parts I & II (or iNBDE); ADEX exam (including the periodontal portion) within 5 years of application, scored via CDCA methods; OR a Board-approved equivalent clinical exam with 75% in each area; OR the CDCA Dental Simulated Clinical Exercise (DSCE, written) at 75%; OR endorsement based on 5 years of good-standing licensure in another state that required a clinical exam. (WREB retired Dec 31, 2022.)

## Endorsement, reciprocity, or credentials signal

NBDE Parts I & II (or iNBDE); ADEX exam (including the periodontal portion) within 5 years of application, scored via CDCA methods; OR a Board-approved equivalent clinical exam with 75% in each area; OR the CDCA Dental Simulated Clinical Exercise (DSCE, written) at 75%; OR endorsement based on 5 years of good-standing licensure in another state that required a clinical exam. The pending/newly enacted S2862 limited-license route (graduate of a reputable dental school + Board-approved exam + practice under direct then general supervision) is a separate, supervised, non-independent credential and was not yet law as of the latest sources (June 2026); confirm whether it has since been signed and what implementing regulations (e.

## Residency signal

No residency-only substitute for the required dental degree was isolated in this sourced state record.

## Notes

Current codified rules (216-RICR-40-05-2) require CODA dental-school graduation for a dentist license — no residency substitution. The pending/newly enacted S2862 limited-license route (graduate of a reputable dental school + Board-approved exam + practice under direct then general supervision) is a separate, supervised, non-independent credential and was not yet law as of the latest sources (June 2026); confirm whether it has since been signed and what implementing regulations (e.g., health.ri.gov Dentist-Limited application) require.

## Official sources

- <https://health.ri.gov/licenses/detail.php?id=251>
- <https://www.ada.org/~/media/Project/ADA%20Organization/ADA/ADA-org/Files/Education/Licensure%20by%20State/Rhode_Island_Licensure>
- <https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/216-40-05-2>
- <https://health.ri.gov/dentistry>
- <https://legiscan.com/RI/bill/S2862/2026>
- <https://health.ri.gov/applications/Dentist-Limited.pdf>

## Related

- [All dental license requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dental license by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-by-state/index.html.md)
- [Rhode Island dental license reciprocity](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-reciprocity/rhode-island/index.html.md)
- [Rhode Island dental licensure exams](https://dentovio.com/dental-licensure-exams/rhode-island/index.html.md)
- [Rhode Island foreign-trained dentist licensure](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/rhode-island/index.html.md)
- [Rhode Island dental board](https://dentovio.com/dental-boards/rhode-island/index.html.md)
- [Rhode Island dental license lookup](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-lookup/rhode-island/index.html.md)
- [Rhode Island dental license renewal](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-renewal/rhode-island/index.html.md)
