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Alabama

Foreign-trained dentist license in Alabama

In short, Alabama requires a CODA-accredited advanced-standing degree (no residency-only route found).

Pathway

Advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD only. Code of Ala. § 34-9-10(a) requires every licensure applicant to be a graduate of a dental school accredited by the ADA Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). A foreign/non-CODA graduate cannot be licensed on the foreign degree; they must earn a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD (typically via a 2+ year advanced-standing/international program). Completing only a residency does NOT cure a non-CODA initial degree for initial licensure. (A separate 1-year CODA residency is referenced in the licensure-by-credentials context, but credentialing requires an existing valid U.S. state license.)

Required exams

Written: NBDE Parts I & II, or the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (iNBDE), administered by JCNDE (per Rule 270-X-2-.01). Clinical: a board-accepted regional exam — ADEX, CDCA-WREB-CITA, or CRDTS+SRTA (mannequin and patient-based portions accepted), passed within 5 years preceding application. Plus Alabama written jurisprudence examination.

Notes

Statutory education requirement (§ 34-9-10(a)) is unambiguously CODA-graduate-based, so there is no residency-only route to initial licensure for a foreign non-CODA grad. Foreign applicants also face credential evaluation and English-proficiency steps. WREB was retired Dec 31, 2022; CDCA-WREB-CITA reflects the merged entity. Confirm current accepted clinical exams and forms directly with BDEAL before relying.

Residency pathway

No residency-only route found: the sourced state record generally points foreign-trained dentists toward a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD or advanced-standing pathway, not a residency-only route.

View residency pathwayCompare advanced-standingCompare no-repeat pathsView licensure exams

Official source

Board of Dental Examiners of Alabama (BDEAL)

Visit the Alabama board →

References

Last verified 2026-07-08 (research confidence: high). Educational summary only, not legal or immigration advice. Dental licensure rules change and the details vary — confirm current requirements directly with the Alabama board before you act. Try the eligibility matcher.