# Utah foreign-trained dentist residency pathway

> No residency-only route found for internationally trained dentists evaluating GPR, AEGD, CODA residency, or advanced-education options in Utah.

URL: https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/utah/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 Utah dental board before choosing a program or filing an application.

## Direct answer

In Utah, the sourced state record generally points foreign-trained dentists toward a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD or advanced-standing pathway, not a residency-only route. Advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD only. Utah Code §58-69-302(1)(c) requires 'satisfactory documentation of having successfully completed a program of professional education preparing an individual as a dentist as evidenced by having received an earned doctor's degree in dentistry from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental. Confirm the current rule directly with Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board (DOPL, Dept. of Commerce) before choosing a program or filing an application.

## Residency and advanced-education signal

Advanced-standing CODA DDS/DMD only. Utah Code §58-69-302(1)(c) requires 'satisfactory documentation of having successfully completed a program of professional education preparing an individual as a dentist as evidenced by having received an earned doctor's degree in dentistry from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.' The licensure statute contains no non-CODA or GPR/AEGD-residency alternative pathway for initial dentist licensure, so a foreign-trained dentist must obtain a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD (advanced-standing program). (Note: a recent Utah immigrant-professional/endorsement initiative may create case-by-case flexibility, but that is not a codified foreign-graduate licensure route — verify current status with DOPL.)

## Required exams

National Board — NBDE Parts I & II or the iNBDE (JCNDE); plus a regional clinical licensure exam covering perio, endo, operative, class 2/3 restoration, and prosthodontics — Utah accepts CDCA, SRTA, CRDTS, CITA (and formerly WREB, retired Dec 31, 2022). Utah jurisprudence requirement applies.

## Notes

Utah's dentist licensure statute admits only a CODA-accredited DDS/DMD degree — no GPR/AEGD residency pathway for a non-CODA degree. A foreign grad must complete a CODA advanced-standing DDS/DMD. Watch Utah's newer immigrant-professional endorsement rules for possible future flexibility; confirm with DOPL.

## Official board source

- Utah Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensing Board (DOPL, Dept. of Commerce): <https://dopl.utah.gov/dentistry/>

## References

- <https://dopl.utah.gov/dentistry/>
- <https://www.ada.org/en/resources/licensure>
- <https://commerce.utah.gov/dopl/dentistry/>

## Related

- [Foreign-trained dentist license in Utah](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-license/utah/index.html.md)
- [Foreign-trained dentist residency pathway by state](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-residency-pathway/index.html.md)
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- [Foreign-trained dentist advanced-standing pathway by state](https://dentovio.com/foreign-trained-dentist-advanced-standing/index.html.md)
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