To provide psychometric, technical and administrative services in the administration and delivery of clinical licensure examinations in dentistry and dental hygiene. CITA will demonstrate integrity and fairness as it provides assistance to state boards of dentistry in their mission to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public by assuring that only competent and qualified individuals are allowed to practice dentistry and dental hygiene.

Council of Interstate Testing Agencies, Inc. (CITA)

The Council of Interstate Testing Agencies, Inc. (CITA) is an independent regional testing agency which administers the CITA examination. Regional testing agencies contract with individual state boards of dentistry to administer the clinical examination required for licensure in those states.  Regional testing agencies do not have the authority to license individuals or implement policy that goes beyond the laws of its member states.  Furthermore, regional testing agencies should not be confused with state boards of dentistry.

CITA Status

 “CITA Status” is achieved when a candidate has successfully completed all five (5) examinations with a score of seventy-five (75) or greater on each of the five (5) examinations. Once a candidate has successfully completed all parts of the CITA exam, they will have met the clinical examination requirement in those states which recognize and accept the CITA exam as fulfilling their clinical licensure requirements. Candidates should be aware that each individual state will have additional requirements before issuing a dental or dental hygiene license .

CITA Recognizing Jurisdictions

Although CITA is a test administrator for dental and dental hygiene licensure examinations, candidates are encouraged to confirm with each state board of dentistry wherein they wish to seek licensure that such state recognizes the results of the CITA examination for licensure in that state.

The following states currently recognize the results of the CITA examination:

**Alabama currently has submitted legislation allowing the recognition of the CITA examination.  Until the legislation becomes effective, Alabama is not authorized to license individuals who have taken the CITA examination. The legislation is expected to become effective in 2008.  Once legislation has become effective, Alabama will give retroactive recognition to individuals who have previously taken the CITA examination

**Virginia accepts the results of CITA examinations taken after September 1, 2007.

Results from the CITA examination are automatically distributed to the secretaries of all the member State Boards of CITA. These results may be accepted by State Boards for a five year period from the date of each candidate’s successful completion of the examination, or for the time period defined by the individual State Board.  As the testing agency responsible for administering the examination, CITA has provided to the Boards of the recognizing states information sufficient to establish that a score of 75 or more on each of the sections of the examination may represent an acceptable demonstration of competence to practice dentistry.  However, each State Board of Dentistry is responsible for determining whether a candidate has fulfilled its standards and requirements for licensure.  The State Boards’ determinations are controlled by state law; the requirements may not be uniform.  Each licensing jurisdiction may use the examination results to the extent authorized by its statutes.