Licensure, registration, and renewal requirements
Licensure, registration, and renewal requirements
Georgia licenses dentists and dental hygienists through the Board, and every license carries conditions this domain tests: how it is obtained, what permits attach to it, when it expires, and what happens when it lapses.
Pathways to a Georgia license
- Education: graduation from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation; hygienists from an accredited hygiene program.
- Examinations: the national board examination (INBDE) plus a Board-accepted clinical examination, and the Georgia jurisprudence examination.
- Other requirements: current CPR certification, the criminal background check and fingerprinting the application requires, and payment of fees. Georgia licenses by examination and, for qualifying applicants, by credentials. There is no automatic reciprocity: a license from another state does not authorize practice in Georgia for even one day.
Permits and limited registrations
The Board issues limited or temporary permits - for example faculty, resident, and student status - each with its own scope and expiration date. Anesthesia and sedation permits are separate endorsements requiring documented training and, where applicable, office inspection. Practicing on a permit outside its stated terms is practicing without a license.
Renewal
Licenses renew on the Board's biennial cycle. Renewal is an attestation: the licensee certifies completion of continuing education and CPR, discloses disciplinary actions, and pays the fee. The Board does not verify every answer at renewal; it audits afterward and can discipline for a false attestation. Address changes must be reported so that renewal and complaint notices reach the licensee - a missed notice does not excuse a missed deadline.
Lapse and reinstatement
Practicing after expiration is unlicensed practice, and "I never received the notice" is not a defense. Reinstatement typically requires a penalty fee, proof of continuing education for the missed period, and sometimes additional examination or a Board appearance.
Worked example
A dentist licensed in Florida accepts a Georgia associateship starting Monday and asks whether she can see patients while her Georgia application is pending. No. She is unlicensed in Georgia until the Board issues the license; treating patients would expose her to unlicensed-practice penalties and expose the practice owner to discipline for aiding unlicensed practice. The lawful options are to delay the start date or to obtain whatever limited permit the Board authorizes for her situation.
Traps
- Assuming a license from another state transfers automatically.
- Letting a license lapse while "winding down" a practice.
- Forgetting that the jurisprudence examination is a separate, Georgia-specific requirement.
- Assuming staff verify their own credentials; the employer must confirm licensure and permit status before delegation.