When to Apply

Apply for a Delaware Dentist Academic licensure if you are a full-time director, chairperson, or attending faculty member of a hospital‑based dental, oral and maxillofacial surgery or other dental specialty residency program.  The program must be:

• based in Delaware, and
• accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association (CODA) for the purposes of teaching, has received initial CODA accreditation or is in the process of establishing CODA accreditation

The academic license allows you to practice dentistry or oral and maxillofacial surgery only in the institution designated on the license and only on patients in an academic setting for teaching purposes.

Information on How to Apply for a License in DELPROS

All applications are submitted our online system DELPROS. We no longer accept paper applications.

PRIOR TO APPLYING

In order to apply for a license or submit a service request, you must first have a DELPROS user account. To LOG IN or CREATE a DELPROS (Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services) user account:

1. Go to: https://delpros.delaware.gov/OH_HomePage.
2. Click GO on the Apply/Manage a License and Service Requests tile.
3. If you do not have a DELPROS user account, click the REGISTER button on the left side of page for NEW USERS.
4. If you already have a DELPROS user account, enter your email address and password on the right side for EXISTING USERS and click the LOGIN button.

DELPROS allows you to save your incomplete application and return to it later to finish the process. You only have six (6) months to submit your application once you begin.

• If you do not submit your application within six months of starting it, you will be required to restart the entire online application again.

You may check the status of your application online throughout the entire application process by using the “View Application Status” feature in DELPROS on your e-License dashboard.

KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND COLLECT YOUR DOCUMENTS

1. Know the requirements for the license you are pursuing.
   • For more information on the requirements for licensure, refer to your profession’s License Law and Rules and Regulations.
2. Request and gather all documents required to upload on the Attachments page. All information and forms are located on your profession’s webpages.

ATTACHING AND ACKNOWLEDGING DOCUMENTS

On the ATTACHMENTS page of your application, you may be instructed to:

• either “attach” or “upload” the required document(s) directly to your application. This means you will find the document(s) saved on your computer or device and upload it to your application.

• click “acknowledge” . This means you will either have to mail the documents yourself or request the “third-party” mail the document(s) directly to the Board office.
  • Examples of “third-party forms” are transcripts from schools, employment verifications from a supervisor, and license verifications from another state.
• Forms requiring a supervisor signature, seal, or notary may have to be MAILED to the Board office directly UNLESS the document specifically indicates to UPLOAD the document.

The requirements for this license type are provided in the following section(s).
 

Requirements

In addition to submitting the application and fee in DELPROS, you must submit:

• An official transcript from Board-recognized undergraduate college or university, sent directly from the school to the Board office.  The transcript must show that you completed at least two years of undergraduate study in an accredited college or university.

• An official transcript from your CODA-accredited dental college or university showing your degree and date of graduation and must be sent directly from the school to the Board office.
• Proof of experience or residency by ONE of the following:
  • Tax form W-2s or other proof that you have practiced actively for three years in another jurisdiction state, U.S. territory or District of Columbia)
  • Proof (such as a letter from the sponsoring institution) that you have one year of experience as a dental intern in a CODA‑accredited general practice residency sent directly from the sponsoring institution to the Board office
  • Proof (such as a letter from the sponsoring institution) that you have completed four or more years in a CODA‑approved specialty residency, sent directly from the sponsoring institution to the Board office.
• State/Jurisdiction Licensure Verification sent directly to the Board office from each state or jurisdiction in which you currently hold or have ever held a license.
• A self-query from the National Practitioner Data Bank if you have ever been licensed in another jurisdiction.  When you receive the report, send the original to the Board office.
• A State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check (CBC). Go to the Criminal Background Check Process page to find the Service Code required to obtain a State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check. Once you have your Service Code, you will be directed to the IdentoGO website for instructions to complete the fingerprinting process.
  • Criminal background checks completed for any other purpose (e.g., employment, licensure in other states) will not meet this requirement.
• A copy of the front and back of your current cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification card.
• A verification that you are “Board Certified” or “Board Eligible” in general dentistry or in a dental specialty.
  • If you are in the process of acquiring “Board Certification” or “Board Eligible”status, you must obtain full “Board Certification” or “Board Eligible” status in general dentistry or in a dentistry specialty within five years. If you do not provide the proof, your license will not be renewed.
• Proof that you have been appointed as a full-time director, chairperson, or an attending faculty member of a hospital-based dental, oral and maxillofacial surgery or other dental specialty residency program.  The facility must be based in Delaware.
• A verification of the hospital facility’s CODA accreditation status.
  • If the hospital facility has received initial CODA accreditation or is in the process of establishing CODA accreditation, the hospital facility must attain full CODA accreditation status within two years of your licensure. Submit proof of the full CODA accreditation when it is attained.

Pursuing Full Dentist Licensure

You may renew your Academic Dentist license on the same two-year cycle as other Delaware dentistry licenses as long as you want to.  (See License Renewal.) However, when you want to obtain full Dentist licensure, you must submit a Dentist application, processing and exam fees, and supporting documentation, including the Jurisprudence Exam for Dentists and National Exam scores in DELPROS, the online portal. After you submit these items, we will notify you by email when you are approved to take the Delaware Practical exam and on what date you may take it. You must pass the Delaware Practical Board Examination regardless of your years of practice in order to be licensed as a Dentist.

For more information about the exam(s), see the Examinations webpage. For more information about Dentist licensure, see Dentist License webpage.