# Tennessee foreign-trained dentist residency pathway > No residency-only route found for internationally trained dentists evaluating GPR, AEGD, CODA residency, or advanced-education options in Tennessee. URL: https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/tennessee/residency-pathway Last verified: 2026-07-08 Research confidence: high Educational summary only, not legal, immigration, or admissions advice. Dental licensure rules change and program eligibility varies. Confirm current requirements directly with the Tennessee dental board before choosing a program or filing an application. ## Direct answer In Tennessee, the sourced state record generally points foreign-trained dentists toward a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD or advanced-standing pathway, not a residency-only route. 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. Confirm the current rule directly with Tennessee Board of Dentistry (TN Dept. of Health) before choosing a program or filing an application. ## Residency and advanced-education 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). ## Required exams 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. ## 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 board source - Tennessee Board of Dentistry (TN Dept. of Health): ## References - - - ## Related - [Foreign-trained dentist license in Tennessee](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/tennessee/index.html.md) - [Foreign-trained dentist residency pathway by state](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-residency-pathway/index.html.md) - [Foreign dentist license without repeating dental school](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license-without-repeating-dental-school/index.html.md) - [Foreign-trained dentist advanced-standing pathway by state](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-advanced-standing/index.html.md) - [Foreign-trained dentist licensure by state](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-licensure/index.html.md) - [Foreign-trained dentist licensure matcher](https://dentovio.com/tools/foreign-dentist-license-eligibility)