# Tennessee dental license requirements

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

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

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 Tennessee Board of Dentistry (TN Dept. of Health).

## Direct answer

For dentist license requirements in Tennessee, 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: No full license on a non-CODA degree; a restricted LIMITED LICENSE is available via an ADA-accredited SPECIALTY program (not GPR/AEGD). Rule 0460-02-.03 (Limited and Educational Limited Licensure) Exam signal: National Board (JCNDE) — NBDE Parts I & II or the iNBDE; plus (for standard licensure by exam) a board-approved regional clinical exam — ADEX/CDCA, SRTA, CRDTS, CITA accepted (WREB retired Dec 31, 2022). Confirm current requirements, application forms, score windows, endorsement eligibility, and foreign-trained exceptions with Tennessee Board of Dentistry (TN Dept. of Health).

## Education and pathway signal

No full license on a non-CODA degree; a restricted LIMITED LICENSE is available via an ADA-accredited SPECIALTY program (not GPR/AEGD). Rule 0460-02-.03 (Limited and Educational Limited Licensure): a graduate whose transcript shows the equivalent of a DDS/DMD, plus an ECE course-by-course evaluation showing the equivalent of 4 years of US dentistry study, plus 'certification of successful completion of a graduate training program in a recognized specialty branch of dentistry from an advanced specialty program accredited by the American Dental Association,' plus the National Board exam. This limited license restricts practice to ADA-accredited institutions / dental education programs or federally-designated health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). For UNRESTRICTED licensure by exam, TN requires a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD (i.e., a foreign grad would need an advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD).

## Exam signal

National Board (JCNDE) — NBDE Parts I & II or the iNBDE; plus (for standard licensure by exam) a board-approved regional clinical exam — ADEX/CDCA, SRTA, CRDTS, CITA accepted (WREB retired Dec 31, 2022). TN Ethics & Jurisprudence exam required for all pathways.

## 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

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

## Notes

The non-CODA pathway is a limited/practice-restricted license tied to completing an ADA-accredited advanced SPECIALTY program — a general-dentistry GPR/AEGD residency does NOT qualify. Full unrestricted licensure requires a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD.

## Official sources

- <https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/health-professional-boards/dentistry-board.html>
- <https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules/0460/0460-02.20230919.pdf>
- <https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/DS_Instructions.pdf>

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- [Tennessee dental license reciprocity](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-reciprocity/tennessee/index.html.md)
- [Tennessee dental licensure exams](https://dentovio.com/dental-licensure-exams/tennessee/index.html.md)
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