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State dental exams

California dental licensure exams

For dentist licensure exams in California, Dentovio's sourced state record lists: Written: iNBDE (replaced NBDE Parts I & II). Pathways after obtaining a qualifying degree: (1) Licensure by ADEX — pass the ADEX dental examination (clinical + written components); or (2) Licensure by Residency — complete ≥12 months of a CODA-accredited GPR or AEGD (a clinical-exam alternative, but still requires an approved degree). Plus the California Law and Ethics requirement. Confirm current iNBDE/NBDE, ADEX or other clinical exam, jurisprudence, law-and-rules, endorsement, and pathway-specific requirements with Dental Board of California.

Official board sourceState pathwayLicense requirementsLicense lookup

Exam signals

Written: iNBDE (replaced NBDE Parts I & II). Pathways after obtaining a qualifying degree: (1) Licensure by ADEX — pass the ADEX dental examination (clinical + written components); or (2) Licensure by Residency — complete ≥12 months of a CODA-accredited GPR or AEGD (a clinical-exam alternative, but still requires an approved degree). Plus the California Law and Ethics requirement.

Pathway context

Advanced-standing (international) CODA/Board-approved DDS/DMD required; residency does NOT bypass it. A graduate of a foreign dental school that is neither CODA-accredited nor Board-approved must complete a two-academic-year international/advanced-standing program at a Board-approved dental college and earn a DDS/DMD (or equivalent). Only after holding a Board- or CODA-approved degree can the applicant pursue Licensure by ADEX Examination or Licensure by Residency. Because Licensure by Residency itself requires graduation from a Board- or CODA-approved dental school, a raw non-CODA foreign grad cannot use a GPR/AEGD residency to skip the 2-year program.

Before applying

  1. Confirm the accepted national board exam and score-report process.
  2. Check which clinical exams or residency alternatives the board accepts.
  3. Verify jurisprudence, law-and-rules, or ethics exam requirements.
  4. Confirm score-age windows, endorsement rules, and pathway-specific exceptions.

Notes

Key nuance: California HAS a Licensure-by-Residency route, but it is not a foreign-degree shortcut — the applicant must first hold a CODA- or Board-approved DDS/DMD, which a non-CODA foreign grad obtains only via the 2-year international program. Effective Jan 1, 2024, any school seeking foreign-dental-school approval must be CODA-accredited (and since Jan 1, 2020 no new non-CODA foreign-school approvals). A few legacy Board-approved foreign schools have sunset dates (e.g., De La Salle University, Mexico — graduates through May 16, 2026). WREB retired Dec 31, 2022; California uses ADEX, not WREB.