The Board of Dentistry is the second oldest licensing board in Oregon, created by an act of the Legislature passed February 23, 1887. The Mission of the Oregon Board of Dentistry is to promote quality oral health care and protect all communities in the State of Oregon by equitably and ethically regulating dental professionals.
The goals of the Board are to protect the public from unsafe, incompetent or fraudulent practitioners and to encourage licensees to practice safely and competently in the best interests of their patients.
The Board does this through:
- Setting education standards;
- Testing the competency of applicants through written and clinical examinations;
- Requiring continuing education of all licensees;
- Investigating complaints and enforcing the provisions of the Dental Practice Act and Rules of the Board;
- Communicating Board policies and other pertinent information to all licensees on a regular basis;
- Providing clear interpretation of Board statutes and rules to licensees and members of the public;
- Acting as a resource to dental consumers in determining the adequacy of their dental treatment;
- Working with other health care licensing boards, professional associations (at local, state and the national level) and the educational system to develop partnerships for forging a viable health care delivery system.