Foreign-trained dentist license in Missouri
In short, Missouri requires a CODA-accredited advanced-standing degree (no residency-only route found).
Pathway
Advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD only. RSMo 332.131 requires the applicant to be 'a graduate of and has a degree in dentistry from an accredited dental school.' A foreign (non-CODA) graduate qualifies for examination and registration only if their school is ADA/CODA-certified; a non-accredited grad must earn a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD (advanced-standing programs exist in-state at UMKC and ATSU/MOSDOH). No statutory pathway to full licensure via a CODA residency (GPR/AEGD) alone.
Required exams
iNBDE (National Board Dental Examination). Clinical exam via an accepted regional board — Missouri accepts CDCA/ADEX, CITA, and other regional examining boards (WREB retired Dec 31 2022).
Notes
Missouri offers only a limited TEACHING license tailored to internationally trained dental educators employed at a CODA-accredited MO dental school — that is not a clinical/general license pathway. New online licensure system 'MOPRO' launched Jan 2025. Verify current clinical-exam acceptance list with the board.
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 examsOfficial source
Missouri Dental Board (Division of Professional Registration)
Visit the Missouri board →