1.1 Exam Format, Legal Sources, and the Board's Enforcement Tools
Key Takeaways
The Dental Board of California's Law and Ethics outline gives Content Area 1 (Law) 50% and Content Area 2 (Ethics) 50% of the exam.
Since July 1, 2022, 16 CCR § 1031 sets a criterion-referenced passing score using the modified Angoff method instead of a fixed 75%.
The Board application fee is $125 and PSI charges a separate $27.23 examination fee for each first attempt or retake.
Candidates may test up to one year before graduation, and a passing result stays valid for two years from notification (B&P § 1632).
B&P § 1601.2 makes protection of the public the Dental Board's highest priority whenever it conflicts with other interests.
Why this exam exists
Every dentist licensed in California must show that they know the state's own rules, not just clinical dentistry. Business and Professions Code (B&P) § 1632(b) requires each applicant to pass "an examination in California law and ethics developed and administered by the board," and it directs the Dental Board of California (DBC) to keep the exam current with the law and to randomize it. The Board's application page says applicants using the WREB, ADEX, or residency pathways must pass the California Dentistry Law and Ethics Examination, which PSI Services LLC delivers under contract.
The exam matters for practice as well as for licensure. Almost every question in this guide describes something a new dentist will face in the first year: a subpoena for a chart, an assistant asking whether they may take a final impression, a parent who wants records the teenager does not want shared, or a patient who wants an insurance claim dated to fit a benefit year.
Eligibility and logistics
| Item | Current rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Board application | $125, non-refundable, filed through BreEZe or by mail | DBC application page |
| Proof of education | Dean certification that you graduated or are expected to graduate | B&P § 1632(b) |
| Earliest test date | Up to one year before graduation | DBC application page |
| Scheduling | A complete application with dean certification filed at least 15 days before a scheduled exam must be scheduled | B&P § 1632(b) |
| Window to pass | Two years after the Board receives the application; otherwise it is abandoned | 16 CCR § 1004(a)(2) |
| Validity of a pass | Two years from the date you are notified that you passed | B&P § 1632(b) |
| PSI fee | $27.23 for each registration, first attempt or retake; not refundable | PSI bulletin and PSI listing |
| Retake | Call PSI to reschedule in 7–10 business days; no new Board application is needed | DBC application page |
The PSI bulletin adds practical rules. You may cancel and reschedule without losing the fee if PSI receives notice two days before the appointment; a missed appointment or late arrival forfeits the fee. The on-screen tutorial (up to 15 minutes) does not count against your time. PSI's current scheduling listing shows one 60-minute portion. Results appear at the test center and go to the Board, but passing does not issue a license: the Board still completes its criminal history review.
Scoring and question count
Before July 1, 2022, 16 CCR § 1031 required "at least 75%" on the law and on the ethics examination. The Board amended § 1031 so that an applicant must reach a criterion-referenced passing score set by the modified Angoff method: licensed dentists and a test development specialist rate each question to decide what an entry-level dentist should know, so the cut score can differ between forms. Resources that still promise "75% to pass" are out of date.
The Board does not publish the number of scored questions. The bulletin says only that five to fifteen unscored experimental questions may be mixed in and cannot be identified. Treat every item as scored.
What the outline covers
The Candidate Information Bulletin lists 35 tasks and their knowledge statements:
| Content area | Subarea | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Law (50%) | 1A Patient Information | Releasing information, documentation, storage and disposal, unauthorized access, records requests |
| 1B Dental Practice Owners | Advertising, supervising auxiliaries, OSHA and hazardous waste, posted documents, medical emergencies, mandated reporting, sexual harassment | |
| 1C Patient Care | Scope of practice, protected classes, fee estimates, consent, telehealth, prescribing | |
| Ethics (50%) | 2A Patient Education | Risks, benefits and alternatives, current conditions, future care, prior dentists, telehealth ethics, referrals, continuity |
| 2C Emergency Treatment | Access to emergency care in and out of business hours | |
| 2D Community Welfare | Referral, impairment, adverse reactions, insurance billing, respectful workplace, reporting, bloodborne exposure, standard of care |
Chapters 2 through 9 of this guide cover the Law tasks. Chapters 10 through 12 cover Ethics.
Where the rules come from
- Dental Practice Act: B&P Division 2, Chapter 4 (§§ 1600–1976), including the unprofessional conduct list in § 1680 and the auxiliary rules in Article 7.
- Board regulations: California Code of Regulations, Title 16, Division 10 (for example § 1005 infection control and §§ 1085–1087 auxiliary duties).
- Other healing-arts law: B&P § 650 (referral kickbacks), § 651 (advertising), § 654.3 (patient credit), § 680 (name tags), § 688 (e-prescribing), § 741 (naloxone), § 2290.5 (telehealth).
- Other codes: Health and Safety Code (patient access, CURES, controlled substances, HIV test privacy, medical waste), Civil Code (Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, breach notice, Unruh Act), Penal Code (child abuse reporting), Welfare and Institutions Code (elder abuse reporting), Family Code (minors), Probate Code (health care decisions), and Government Code (harassment).
- Federal law: HIPAA privacy, security and breach rules; the Americans with Disabilities Act; EPA amalgam separator rule; Cal/OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard (8 CCR § 5193).
- Ethics codes: the ADA Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct (five principles: patient autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, veracity) and the CDA Code of Ethics.
The Board's enforcement tools
B&P § 1601.2 makes public protection the Board's highest priority. Under § 1670 the Board may revoke, suspend, reprimand, or place a licensee on probation for unprofessional conduct, incompetence, gross negligence, or repeated negligent acts. Discipline follows the Administrative Procedure Act, with hearings before an administrative law judge. § 1680 lists conduct that is unprofessional "but is not limited to" the list, including fee fraud (a), aiding unlicensed practice (c), sexual misconduct with a patient (e), false advertising (h), record alteration with intent to deceive (s), unsanitary conditions (t), and patient abandonment without written notice (u). Some violations are also crimes: false advertising under § 651(f) and clearly excessive prescribing or treatment under § 1680(p) are misdemeanors.
Tip
When a question asks what a dentist "must" do, look for the statutory duty. When it asks what a dentist "should" do or what is "most ethical," look for the ADA or CDA principle. The Ethics half rewards answers that protect the patient's autonomy and welfare without breaking the law.
A candidate passed the California Dentistry Law and Ethics Examination and was notified of the pass on March 1, 2025. Under B&P § 1632(b), how long does that result remain valid for licensure?
Two years from the date the candidate was notified of passing
One year from the date of the examination
Five years from the date of the examination
Until the next biennial renewal period begins
Which statement correctly describes how the Law and Ethics Examination is scored today?
Candidates must score at least 75% on the Law portion and 75% on the Ethics portion
A criterion-referenced passing score is set by the modified Angoff method, so no fixed percentage applies to every form
Scores are curved so that a fixed share of candidates passes each month
Candidates must answer 70% of the experimental questions correctly
A dental student fails the Law and Ethics Examination in May. What must the student do to try again?
File a new $125 application with the Dental Board before PSI will schedule a retake
Wait six months and submit a new dean certification
Contact PSI to reschedule, pay the PSI examination fee again, and test within the Board's two-year eligibility window
Complete a remedial Dental Practice Act course before retesting
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.