West Virginia foreign-trained dentist residency pathway
In West Virginia, the sourced state record indicates a CODA residency, GPR, AEGD, or advanced-education pathway may satisfy part of the licensure path under specific conditions. Advanced-standing-style CODA program required (2+ years), which functions as a residency route only if it is a 2-year advanced program: W.Va. CSR 5-1-3.5 lets the Board license a foreign-dental-school graduate who holds certification of a TWO-YEAR (or more) advanced general dentistry training program from a US/Canadian CODA-accredited school; 5-1-3. Confirm the current rule directly with West Virginia Board of Dentistry before choosing a program or filing an application.
Residency signal
Advanced-standing-style CODA program required (2+ years), which functions as a residency route only if it is a 2-year advanced program: W.Va. CSR 5-1-3.5 lets the Board license a foreign-dental-school graduate who holds certification of a TWO-YEAR (or more) advanced general dentistry training program from a US/Canadian CODA-accredited school; 5-1-3.6 similarly allows a 2-year (or more) CODA-accredited dental specialty advanced education program. A one-year GPR/AEGD alone does NOT confer full licensure. Without such 2-year CODA training, foreign-trained dentists are limited to intern/resident/teaching permits (5-1-3.3/3.4).
Exam signal
National board exam by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) — iNBDE/NBDE; plus a clinical exam administered by CDCA, CRDTS, CITA, SRTA, or WREB (or successor); plus the West Virginia Dental Law exam.
Source notes
Board policy explicitly declined to grant full licensure to foreign-trained, US-board-certified specialists without a clinical board exam (WV biennium report). So the accepted route is a 2+ year CODA advanced general dentistry OR specialty program PLUS the required national + clinical exams. This is more restrictive than a 1-year GPR/AEGD pathway. Board contact toll-free (877) 914-8266.
References
- http://www.wvdentalboard.org
- https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/west-virginia/W-Va-C-S-R-SS-5-1-3
- https://www.ada.org/~/media/Project/ADA%20Organization/ADA/ADA-org/Files/Education/Licensure%20by%20State/West_Virginia_Licensure
- https://wvbodv7prod.glsuite.us/GLSuiteWeb/Clients/WVBOD/StaticFiles/home.aspx