✅ Official results: released May 20, 2026
796 of 896 passed (88.84%).
Why this page has a license check
No one in my family is a dentist. My only link to this exam is the same one most people have, which is the ordinary check-ups and cleanings I’ve had over the years. I never looked for a certificate on the clinic wall. I never searched a dentist’s name online, either.
The chair and the tools were in front of me, so I assumed the rest. That assumption was my whole check. So besides the official dentist board exam results for takers and their families, this page shows the plain way to look up a dentist’s license.
Latest results: May 2026 Dentists
PRC released the May 2026 Dentists results on May 20, 2026, four working days after the last exam day. That matches the speed of the November release. The exam was given in NCR, Baguio, Cebu and Davao. The passing rate was 88.84%: 796 passers out of 896 examinees.
Board of Dentistry members: Dr. Merlin A. Go, Chairman; Dr. Gloria M. Bumanlag, Dr. Ellis James B. Ranada, Dr. Irene Grace A. Porter and Dr. Ma. Jocelyn Genevieve L. Tan, Members. Online registration for the PRC ID and certificate of registration starts July 8, 2026.
How the latest results compare
The passing rate was up 1.87 points from November 2025. It is the highest rate in our records since May 2025. A year earlier, May 2025 posted 78.84%. 578 fewer examinees took this batch than November.
How do I check if my dentist is licensed?
Search PRC’s online license check at verification.prc.gov.ph. It is free. You can do it before or after your visit, in one of three ways:
- Name search: first, pick the dentist profession from the list. Then type the first and last name.
- License number search: pick the profession, then enter the license number and the dentist’s birthdate.
- Barcode scan: point your phone camera at the barcode on the dentist’s digital PRC ID.
You won’t know a dentist’s birthdate, so the name search is the easy one. Our guide on what a PRC license covers explains the license itself.
What to look at
Look for a record under the right profession and the right name. Then check the date. That matters. The PRC ID card shows the registration number, the date it was issued, and its expiry date (Republic Act No. 9484, Section 19). The card must be renewed every three years, so the expiry date tells you whether it is current.
If the name does not show up
Don’t panic. A missing name is not proof of a problem, because some dentists are listed under a married name and the spelling can also differ from what you typed. PRC itself warns that its online records can have errors or delays.
So ask the clinic for the dentist’s full name or license number, and search again. If you still find nothing after that, you can report it to PRC.
Is the certificate on the clinic wall enough?
The wall certificate is a legal requirement, but the online check is the current one. Section 28 of RA 9484 orders every practicing dentist to display their name and certificate of registration “in plain sight of patients.” A dentist with branches keeps the original in the main clinic and a certified copy in each branch.
However, the certificate stays in force until PRC revokes or suspends it (Section 19). It has no expiry date. The PRC ID is the part that expires every three years. A frame shows the dentist passed once, while the online record shows the license today.
Dentist, dental hygienist, or dental technologist?
Three licenses. Each has its own PRC exam and its own list, so if you took the hygienist or technologist exam, your name is on that list and not on this one.
- Dentist: treats the mouth, teeth, and jaws, and may prescribe medicine for oral diseases (Section 4). Needs a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.
- Dental hygienist: may do scaling and polishing, oral exams, X-rays, and patient teaching, but only under a licensed dentist’s supervision. Needs a two-year dental hygiene certificate.
- Dental technologist: builds dentures and other oral devices, also under a dentist’s supervision.
This answers a question I never asked at my cleanings. The person who cleaned your teeth may have been a licensed hygienist working under a dentist. Hygienists hold PRC licenses too, so the same check works for them.
If you use PhilHealth for check-ups, our guide to PhilHealth YAKAP dental benefits covers what the program pays for.
Next dentist board exam schedule
The next Dentists exam is scheduled for November 22 to December 5, 2026, based on PRC's 2026 schedule of examinations. It has two parts: the written part from November 22 to 24, 2026, and the practical part from November 28 to December 5, 2026. Applications open August 24, 2026 and close October 23, 2026. PRC targets releasing the results by December 14, 2026.
The dentist board exam comes in two parts, written first and practical second, and PRC lists each with its own dates. The lines above show both, taken from PRC’s schedule. They change by themselves when PRC moves a date.
There is only one list, and it comes out after the practical part. PRC released the May 2025, November 2025, and May 2026 lists three to four working days after the last exam day. So ignore any “results are out” post dated before the practical part ends.
What happens in the written and practical parts?
In past exams, PRC gave the written part in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao. The practical part was given in Metro Manila only. Takers get a school or building assignment, which PRC posts on its website.
No patient sits in the chair
You may have heard that board takers work on real patients. That is not how PRC’s two latest practical exams worked. In December 2025 and May 2026, takers prepared cavities and bridge work on typodonts, which are plastic model teeth in a dummy head. They built a complete denture on a mechanical articulator, a device that holds the models in place of a patient.
The rules do change between exams, though. In December 2025, takers brought stone casts taken from a live patient for one design exercise. By May 2026, PRC no longer allowed takers to bring their own cast for it. PRC posts each exam’s program before the practical part, so read the current one.
How is the dentist board exam scored?
You need a general weighted average of at least 75%, with no rating below 50% (Section 16). The Board of Dentistry counts the written part as 60% and the practical part as 40% (Board Resolution No. 02, series of 2021).
The 50% floor applies to the written part and to each practical exercise. Both parts count. As a result, one very low exercise can fail you even with a good average.
Who can take the dentist board exam?
Section 14 of RA 9484 lists the requirements. You must be a Filipino citizen, although a foreigner can qualify if their country lets Filipino dentists practice there on the same terms. You also need a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree, and no conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude, meaning dishonesty or bad character.
For parents, the road is long before the exam even starts. The Commission on Higher Education describes the Doctor of Dental Medicine as a six-year program. Then come both exam parts, and then a PRC ID to renew every three years. PRC sets the exam fee (Section 20), and you pay it when you apply online. School costs vary too much between schools to state here.
After you pass
Online registration for the PRC ID and certificate of registration starts July 8, 2026. You register online, then PRC sets the oath taking. After that, you receive your certificate of registration and your PRC ID. Your ID needs renewal every three years, and the Board runs continuing education for dentists (Section 29).
If you open your own clinic, you pay your own contributions as a self-employed member. So start with SSS for the self-employed, then PhilHealth online registration and the PhilHealth rules for self-employed members. For your first income, the Pag-IBIG MP2 calculator and our guide on investing in the Philippine stock market are a start. If you plan to work or train abroad, see the passport requirements.
If your name is not on the list
First, check the next exam date and the application deadline in the schedule above. PRC has held this exam twice a year, around May and around November to December.
You must retake the whole exam, both parts. Since December 2021, the Board has not allowed a practical-only retake. It only allowed one during a short transition that ended with the May 2022 exam.
The law adds one more rule. After three straight failed exams, you must finish a refresher course before you can apply again (Section 14). Also, a taker who skips the practical part for two practical schedules in a row loses their written part. They must then take the complete exam again.
Dentist board exam results archive
This list shows every exam since May 2025, newest first, with PRC’s own PDFs. PRC also posts the results on the official PRC website.
PDF downloads by batch
May 2026
November 2025
May 2025
Frequently asked questions about the dentist board exam
How do I check if my dentist is licensed?
Search PRC’s online license check at verification.prc.gov.ph. Pick the dentist profession, then type the first and last name. You can also search by license number and birthdate, or scan the barcode on a digital PRC ID. Then check that the PRC ID is not expired, since it is renewed every three years. If the name does not show up, ask the clinic for the full name or license number and search again.
When were the May 2026 Dentists results released?
PRC released the May 2026 Dentists results on May 20, 2026. 796 out of 896 passed (88.84%). That was four working days after the last exam day.Can I retake only the practical part of the dentist board exam?
No. Since December 2021, Board of Dentistry Resolution No. 02 requires the complete exam, written and practical. A practical-only retake was allowed only until the May 2022 exam. After three straight failed exams, RA 9484 requires a refresher course before you apply again.
What is the difference between a dentist, a dental hygienist, and a dental technologist?
They are three separate PRC licenses with three separate exams and lists. A dentist treats the mouth, teeth, and jaws and needs a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. A dental hygienist may do scaling, polishing, oral exams, and X-rays under a dentist’s supervision. A dental technologist builds dentures and other oral devices, also under a dentist’s supervision.
Is the PRC certificate on the clinic wall enough, or should I check online?
Check online too. Section 28 of RA 9484 requires dentists to display their certificate of registration in plain sight of patients. However, that certificate has no expiry date. The PRC ID is the part renewed every three years, and the online check at verification.prc.gov.ph shows the license as PRC records it now.
The list, then the record
For takers, these dentist board exam results answer one thing: your name is on the list or it is not. Either way, the next step is a date on PRC’s calendar.
For patients, the list is only the start. A passer becomes a dentist you can look up. I never ran that search at my own cleanings, and I doubt I’m the only one. It is still the one check a patient can do alone, for free.
For other health boards, see our nurses board exam results. Every exam we track is on our PRC board exam results page.
