2014 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 59. Professions and Occupations
§59-328.21. Application for license – Qualifications - Examination.

A. No person, unless registered to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in this state on July 1, 1970, shall practice dentistry or dental hygiene without first applying for and obtaining a license from the Board of Dentistry.

B. Application shall be made to the Board in writing and shall be accompanied by the fee established by the rules of the Board, together with satisfactory proof that the applicant:

1. Is of good moral character; and

2. Is twenty-one (21) years of age, or over, at the time of making application to practice dentistry or eighteen (18) years of age, or over, if the applicant is to practice dental hygiene.

C. An application from a candidate who desires to secure a license from the Board to practice dentistry or dental hygiene in this state shall be accompanied by satisfactory proof that the applicant is:

1. A graduate of an accredited dental college, if the applicant is to practice dentistry; or

2. A graduate of an accredited dental hygiene program, if the applicant is to practice dental hygiene.

The college or program, in either case, shall be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

D. 1. When the applicant and the accompanying proof are found satisfactory, the Board shall notify the applicant to appear for examination at the time and place to be fixed by the Board. Examination shall be of a character to give a fair test of the qualifications of the applicant to practice dentistry or dental hygiene, whichever the case may be, and shall consist of three parts, namely:

a.a written theoretical examination,

b.a clinical examination, and

c.a written jurisprudence examination, relating to the contents and interpretation of the State Dental Act and the rules of the Board.

2. The theoretical and jurisprudence examination papers and all grading thereon, and the grading of the clinical examination, shall be deemed public documents, and shall be preserved by the Board for a period of two (2) years after the Board has made and published its decision thereon.

E. The Board shall require every applicant for a license to practice dentistry or dental hygiene to:

1. Submit, for the files of the Board, a photostatic copy of a dental degree or dental hygiene degree, an official transcript and a recent photograph duly identified and attested; and

2. Pass an examination required by the Board in the theory and practice of the science of dentistry or dental hygiene, whichever the case may be. The Board may recognize the results of examinations conducted by the Commission on National Dental Examinations or results of regionally conducted examinations with which regions the Board is affiliated by contract or cooperative agreement pursuant to Section 328.15 of this title, in lieu of, or subject to, such examinations as may be required.

F. Any applicant who fails to pass any part of the first examination may apply for a second examination, in which case the applicant shall pay a reexamination fee as established by the rules of the Board. Any applicant who fails to pass the examination upon first trial may be given credit for such subjects as the Board may allow, but such credits shall be extended only to the succeeding examinations. If the applicant fails to pass a second examination, before further re-examination, the Board may require evidence of additional education, as specified by the Board. After a third examination, the Board may deny the applicant another examination.

G. No person shall practice as a dental assistant or oral maxillofacial surgery assistant for more than one (1) day in a calendar year without having obtained a permit as a dental assistant or oral maxillofacial surgery assistant from the Board of Dentistry within thirty (30) days of beginning employment.

Any person seeking to obtain a dental assistant or oral maxillofacial surgery assistant permit must have a supervising dentist currently licensed in Oklahoma and complete the requirements set forth by the Board.

Added by Laws 1970, c. 173, § 21, eff. July 1, 1970. Amended by Laws 1981, c. 216, § 2; Laws 1999, c. 280, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1999; Laws 2003, c. 172, § 5, emerg. eff. May 5, 2003; Laws 2013, c. 405, § 5, eff. July 1, 2013.