# Foreign-trained dentist license in Maine

> Maine pathway signal for internationally trained dentists: Pathway unclear; verify with the board.

URL: https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/maine

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Research confidence: medium

Educational summary only, not legal or immigration advice. Dental licensure rules change and the details vary; confirm current requirements directly with the Maine board before acting.

## Pathway

Case-by-case 'educational equivalent' review — NOT a strict advanced-standing-DDS-only rule, and no explicit fixed CODA-residency requirement. By statute (32 M.R.S. §18342) a dentist applicant must verify a doctoral degree (DMD/DDS) from a CODA-accredited program OR 'the educational equivalent of a doctoral degree in dentistry, as determined by the board.' Since 2020 the Board reviews non-CODA foreign credentials case-by-case for educational equivalency; a foreign-trained dentist is licensable if the Board determines their education is equivalent (rather than being required to complete a specific CODA advanced-standing DDS/DMD or a named residency). Endorsement pathways also exist for those already licensed elsewhere (incl. foreign jurisdictions) with a substantially equivalent license held 3 consecutive years, or substantially-similar qualifications.

## Required exams

National Dental Board Examination (iNBDE / NBDE or its successor) + all sections of a Board-approved regional or state clinical examination (ADEX, CDCA-WREB-CITA, CRDTS, SRTA) + the Maine jurisprudence examination (must score 90%). (WREB retired 12/31/2022.)

## Notes

Maine does not fit the task's binary cleanly: it neither mandates a fixed 2-year advanced-standing DDS/DMD nor names a CODA GPR/AEGD residency requirement. Instead the Board makes a case-by-case 'educational equivalency' determination for non-CODA foreign degrees (32 M.R.S. §18342(1)(A); Board Rules 02-313 Ch. 6). Whether a CODA residency specifically satisfies equivalency is at Board discretion and should be confirmed directly (Maine Board of Dental Practice, 207-287-3333, dental.board@maine.gov). Confidence medium: statute wording confirmed from the ADA Maine Laws & Rules compilation (updated 11/29/2025), but the equivalency determination is discretionary and not reducible to a fixed pathway.

## Official board source

- Maine Board of Dental Practice: <https://www.maine.gov/dental/>

## References

- Source 1: <https://www.maine.gov/dental/licensure/license-types.html>
- Source 2: <https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/32/title32ch16sec0.html>
- Source 3: <https://www.ada.org/~/media/Project/ADA%20Organization/ADA/ADA-org/Files/Education/Licensure%20by%20State/Maine_Licensure>
- Source 4: <https://www.medentalcareers.org/internationally-trained-dentists.php>

## Related

- [Foreign-trained dentist licensure by state](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-licensure/index.html.md)
- [Maine dental license requirements](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-requirements/maine/index.html.md)
- [Maine dental license reciprocity](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-reciprocity/maine/index.html.md)
- [Maine dental licensure exams](https://dentovio.com/dental-licensure-exams/maine/index.html.md)
- [Maine foreign-trained dentist residency pathway](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/maine/residency-pathway/index.html.md)
- [Foreign-trained dentist licensure matcher](https://dentovio.com/tools/foreign-dentist-license-eligibility)