How we verify every listing
A dentist appears here only after two public records agree: the federal provider registry and the state license file. This page sets out each check and its limits.
Where the data comes from
Three public sources feed every listing. We do not copy from other directories, and we do not accept listings by payment.
The federal NPI registry
The National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) is the federal record of health care providers. It gives us each dentist’s name, credential, declared specialty and practice address. Dentists maintain their own records there, so some are out of date. That is why the registry alone is never enough to be listed.
The Dental Board of California license file
The California Department of Consumer Affairs publishes a file of Dental Board licensees and refreshes it at the start of each month. It gives us license status, the original issue date, the expiry date and practice names registered with the state. The file for November 2026 shows 36,294 current dental licenses statewide.
State permits
The same file lists the extra permits the board issues: the oral conscious sedation certificate, the moderate sedation permit, the general anesthesia permit, the pediatric minimal sedation permit and others. A sedation badge appears on a profile only when the dentist holds a current permit. It is never taken from a dentist’s own advertising.
What we check before a dentist is listed
License status
We match each dentist in the federal registry to the state file by license number, and confirm that the names agree. Where the license number is missing or does not agree with the name, we accept a match only when exactly one licensee has the same name.
Current
The dentist is listed. The profile shows the license number, the year it was first issued and the month it expires.
Delinquent, inactive or missing
The dentist is not listed. Delinquent means the license passed its expiry date without being renewed. Inactive means the dentist holds a license but may not practice under it. Missing means we could not match the dentist to any license, which is often a dentist who has retired or moved out of state.
Practice address
The address in the federal registry is self-reported and can be years old. We publish a street address and phone number only when a second record backs it up.
What counts as corroboration
- A practice organization is registered at the same address in the federal registry.
- A state practice-name permit or additional-office permit names the dentist at that address.
- Another licensed dentist lists the same office.
- The address includes a suite number, which marks a commercial office.
One exception: an address with no suite number that ten or more dentists share is treated as a company head office, not a practice. Contact details there are held back unless a state permit confirms the dentist at that address.
Why some addresses are held back
When nothing corroborates an address, the listing shows the city and ZIP code only, with a badge that says contact details are held back. An unconfirmed address may be a former office or a home, and we would rather show less than send you to the wrong door.
How often listings are updated
The state file is refreshed monthly, and we re-run every check after each refresh. The date of the latest check appears on every listing page: today it is November 2026. A dentist whose license is no longer current at a refresh is taken down.
The numbers behind the directory
These are the figures for Orange County, the first county live, as of November 2026.
| Step | Dentists |
|---|---|
| Dentists with a Orange County practice address in the federal registry | 3,978 |
| Matched to a current California license, and listed | 3,271 |
| Left out: license delinquent | 318 |
| Left out: license inactive | 79 |
| Left out: no matching license | 310 |
| Listed with a corroborated street address | 2,672 |
| Listed with city and ZIP code only | 599 |
| Holding a current sedation or anesthesia permit | 194 |
| Practices with a name on record | 1,376 |
What we do not have yet
- Opening hours, insurance plans, languages and services. These are not in public records. They will appear on a profile once the dentist adds them or we confirm them, and each will carry its source.
- Disciplinary history. The monthly file shows license status, not the detail of board actions. The state’s own license search shows public actions against a license, and every profile links to it.
- A complete list of pediatric dentists. Many have not declared the specialty in the federal registry, so that list is short for now.
- Counties beyond Orange. Each county is added only after its own license check.
Report an error
If a listing is wrong, tell us. Dentists can claim a profile or use the update or remove a listing page. Patients can use the contact page. Corrections are checked against the public record before they are published.