(a) Except as provided in section 20-110 and subsection (b) of this section, each applicant for a license to practice dental medicine or dental surgery shall be examined by the Department of Public Health, under the supervision of the Dental Commission as to his or her professional knowledge and skill before such license is granted. Such examination shall be conducted in the English language. The Dental Commission may, with the consent of the Commissioner of Public Health, accept and approve, in lieu of the written examination required by this section, the results of an examination given by the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations, subject to such conditions as the commission may prescribe, and the Dental Commission with the consent of the Commissioner of Public Health, may accept and approve, in lieu of the written and practical examination required by this section, the results of regional testing agencies as to written and practical examinations, subject to such conditions as the commission, with the consent of the Commissioner of Public Health, may prescribe. Passing scores shall be established by the department with the consent of the commission.

(b) In lieu of the practical examination required by subsection (a) of this section, an applicant for licensure may submit evidence of having successfully completed not less than one year of graduate dental training as a resident dentist in a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, provided the director of the dental residency program at the facility in which the applicant completed the residency training provides documentation satisfactory to the Department of Public Health attesting to the resident dentist's competency in all areas tested on the practical examination required by subsection (a) of this section. Not later than December 1, 2005, the Dental Commission, in consultation with the Department of Public Health, shall develop a form upon which such documentation shall be provided.

(1949 Rev., S. 4448; 1957, P.A. 185; 1969, P.A. 101; P.A. 77-614, S. 397, 610; P.A. 80-484, S. 40, 176; P.A. 87-114, S. 1; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; 93-435, S. 6, 95; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 05-213, S. 2; P.A. 07-252, S. 45.)

History: 1969 act added provision allowing acceptance of regional test results in lieu of written and practical examinations; P.A. 77-614 required consent of health services commissioner for waiver of written and practical examinations and transferred examinations to jurisdiction of health services department, retaining commission in supervisory capacity, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-484 added provision re establishment of passing scores; P.A. 87-114 added provision re exception to obtaining a license by examination; P.A. 93-381 replaced department and commissioner of health services with department and commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-435 substituted Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations for National Board of Dental Examiners, effective June 28, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 05-213 designated existing language as Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (a) by making technical changes and exempting Subsec. (b) from provisions and added Subsec. (b) authorizing graduate dental training as resident dentist in lieu of practical examination required by Subsec. (a); P.A. 07-252 amended Subsec. (b) by requiring director of dental residency program, instead of supervising dentist, to provide documentation of applicant's successful completion of graduate dental training as a resident dentist and deleting provision re documentation to be provided at the end of year of graduate dental training, effective July 12, 2007.