Commission on Dental Competency Assessments
The Commission on Dental Competency Assessments is one of five examination agencies for dentists in the United States. The other examination agencies are the Western Regional Examining Board, the Central Regional Dental Testing Service, the Council of Interstate Testing Agencies, Inc. and the Southern Regional Testing Agency. These were organized to better standardize clinical exams for licensure. Historically each state had its own independent licensing exam.
On January 9, 2015, the NERB became the Commission on Dental Competency Assessments.
The CDCA, administers the ADEX Dental and Dental Hygiene Exams. The CDCA also administers Dental Specialty exams, a Florida Laws and Rules exam, and an Expanded Function Dental Assistant exam.
The CDCA has grown to include 44* states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Jamaica. The only states that still do not accept the CDCA for both Dental and Hygiene exams are: Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, *Nebraska ', *New York ', Oklahoma and *South Dakota ''.
| U.S. State or Other Country | Accepts CDCA ADEX Dental Exam | Accepts CDCA ADEX Hygiene Exam |
| ALABAMA | Y | Y |
| ALASKA | N | N |
| ARIZONA | Y | Y |
| ARKANSAS | Y | Y |
| CALIFORNIA | Y | N |
| COLORADO | Y | Y |
| CONNECTICUT | Y | Y |
| DC | Y | Y |
| DELAWARE | N | N |
| FLORIDA | Y | Y |
| GEORGIA | N | N |
| HAWAII | Y | Y |
| IDAHO | Y | Y |
| ILLINOIS | Y | Y |
| INDIANA | Y | Y |
| IOWA | Y | Y |
| JAMAICA | Y | - |
| KANSAS | Y | Y |
| KENTUCKY | Y | Y |
| LOUISIANA | Y | Y |
| MAINE | Y | Y |
| MARYLAND | Y | Y |
| MASSACHUSETTS | Y | Y |
| MICHIGAN | Y | Y |
| MINNESOTA | Y | Y |
| MISSISSIPPI | Y | Y |
| MISSOURI | Y | Y |
| MONTANA | Y | Y |
| NORTH CAROLINA | Y | Y |
| NEBRASKA | Y | N |
| NEVADA | Y | Y |
| NEW JERSEY | Y | Y |
| NEW MEXICO | Y | Y |
| NEW YORK | N | Y |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | Y | Y |
| NORTH DAKOTA | Y | Y |
| OHIO | Y | Y |
| OKLAHOMA | N | N |
| OREGON | Y | Y |
| PENNSYLVANIA | Y | Y |
| PUERTO RICO | Y | - |
| RHODE ISLAND | Y | Y |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | Y | Y |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | N | N |
| TENNESSEE | Y | Y |
| TEXAS | Y | Y |
| UTAH | Y | Y |
| VERMONT | Y | Y |
| VIRGINIA | Y | Y |
| U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS | Y | - |
| WASHINGTON | Y | Y |
| WEST VIRGINIA | Y | Y |
| WISCONSIN | Y | Y |
| WYOMING | Y | Y |