Enhance Your CDT

Inspire, Motivate, Elevate

Achieving the CDT designation is an accomplishment and a major milestone in the career of a dental laboratory professional. CDTs are dedicated to enhancing their career and even more so improving the profession. Becoming a CDT speaks to one's personal dedication to being the best in their chosen field and to producing high quality patient care. Below are additional ways to enhance the CDT credential, build knowledge and skills and giving back to the profession.

Adding CDT specialties to your certification can be a wonderful way to prove to your colleagues how committed you are to the dental laboratory technology profession and that you maintain the highest professional standard in dental laboratory technology.

Certification in a given specialty shows that you have met the national standards for knowledge and skills in a given specialty area. As such, current CDTs can strengthen the value of your certification by adding additional specialties. And you'll even get a bonus of 8 hours of scientific continuing education credit towards your CDT renewal for each specialty that you earn.

Current CDTs can earn an additional specialty by passing both the written specialty examination and the practical examination in a given specialty. The CDT renewal requirements are the same regardless of the number of specialties that a certificant possesses.

Manage Your Certification with MyNBC

Please use this simplified Additional Specialty Application to register. A list of scheduled examination dates and sites can be found on the CDT Testing Dates/Places page.

The CDT Technologist designation was created in order to develop a strategy for the globalization of the CDT credential. CDTs who have documented proof of graduation from an ADA-accredited dental technology program and have met the following education and experience criteria would be classified as a "Technologist", which shows that they have formal education in all areas of dental laboratory technology.

The "Technologist" designation is different from the "Master CDT" who has passed the required CDT examinations in five of seven specialties.

Any CDT that has received the Technologist designation will be recognized with a certificate and will be eligible to use the technologist designation after their CDT credential (i.e. CDT, TE).

Their qualifications are to be assessed in a similar manner to the global Dental Technologist designation.

A. Qualifications for articulation to the "Technologist" designation require all of the following:

  1. 1) Be a CDT in good standing;
  2. 2) Provide proof of graduation from an ADA-accredited dental technology program (including military programs); and
  3. 3) Demonstrate within the past 15 years:
    • 7 years practical experience; or
    • 5 years practical experience and an Associate's Degree (or higher); or
    • 3 years practical experience and Bachelor's Degree (or higher).

B. The Associate's and Bachelor's Degrees (or higher) can be earned in dental technology or any field from an accredited college or university.

Click Here to Download the Technologist Application

2024 CDT of the Year Named - Dennis Urban, CDT

Thank you to everyone that submitted nominations for the 2024 CDT of the Year Award. This year we are excited to announce that the winner of the 2024 CDT of the Year Award is Dennis Urban, CDT. Dennis was recognized in front of his peers at the National Association of Dental Laboratories' (NADL) 2024 Vision 21 meeting in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, January 19, 2024. See below to read more about the winner.

 

 

While each year that a CDT maintains certification is an accomplishment, achieving a milestone of 25 or more years is a phenomenal feat. CDTs having reached a milestone have not only become certified, but have committed to certification for 25 or more years. These CDTs are without a doubt dedicated to quality and have bettered the profession by raising the standards in dental laboratory technology.

The National Board for Certification in Dental Laboratory Technology (NBC) would like to honor every CDT for their hard work and dedication. Each year, CDT celebrating milestones of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and even 55 years receive a special certificate, patch and pin honoring their years of devotion. They also are listed in a special insert in the Journal of Dental Technology.

Please help us congratulate our colleagues reaching these milestones.

2023 CDT Milestone Recipients

2022 CDT Milestone Recipients

2021 CDT Milestone Recipients

2020 CDT Milestone Recipients

2019 CDT Milestone Recipients

2018 CDT Milestone Recipients

Current CDTs who are no longer actively working in the dental technology field may apply for Retired Status and are given two options for continuing to retain their certification; Active Retired or Permanent Retired.

For more information on applying for retirement, please email certification@nbccert.org or call (800) 684-5310.

Becoming a Master CDT places you among the top of the CDTs. Less than 1% of all CDTs can call themselves a Master CDT earning certification in at least 5 CDT specialty areas.

Master CDTs are leading the certification charge by setting the highest professional standard in dental laboratory technology. As a Master CDT, you will show your colleagues and your dental clients that you are committed to proving yourself and have successfully completed at least five (5) of the dental technology specialties recognized by the NBC: Ceramics, Complete Dentures, Crown & Bridge, Digital Workflow, Implants, Orthodontics and Partial Dentures.

You can start the process of becoming a Master CDT by working towards an additional specialty. See additional specialty information below on this page.
View a Listing of Master CDTs

NBC is recruiting current CDTs that are interested in mentoring other technicians who are working towards achieving certification. This Volunteer CDT Mentor Directory is available at www.nbccert.org/directories/mentor to technicians who are looking for someone that will help guide them with any technical questions they may have regarding examination preparation or the certification process.

Mentors must be current CDTs who are willing to volunteer their time and expertise to assist colleagues attempting to earn the credential. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please click the button below to complete a short form.

Become a Volunteer CDT Mentor

Those CDTs that are willing to be mentors will be listed in the Volunteer CDT Mentor Directory at www.nbccert.org/directories/mentor, along with their contact information and current certifications. The information provided will include your City and State, Phone Number (optional), Email Address and current CDT specialties. From there, technicians looking for a mentor can reach out to you for questions or support.

NBC relies on a team of approximately twenty-five (25) volunteer CDT Examiners to administer the practical CDT examinations throughout the United States every year. Without their volunteer spirit, valuable subject matter expertise, dedication and continuous support of the field of dental laboratory technology and the CDT program, dental laboratory technology students and technicians would not have the opportunity to elevate or launch their careers through professional certification.

The NBC requires that all appointed CDT Examiners have ten (10) or more years of cross-specialty experience, hold and maintain certification in multiple specialty areas and regularly attend NBC Examiner training workshops in order to ensure they are thoroughly educated in evaluating the practical CDT examinations and have a full understanding of the National standards to which they must adhere. The NBC's CDT Examiner team is comprised of certified technicians, laboratory owners, educators and military technicians who possess formal education, on-the-job training and/or military training.

While serving as CDT Examiners, this group of volunteers is responsible for establishing, maintaining and controlling the professional image of the NBC and serve as appointed representatives of the NBC and the certification program. The Examiners share a strong passion for dental laboratory technology and consistently strive to inspire and motivate technicians to achieve professional certification, which in turn elevates them to the highest level of their profession.

Are you interested in giving back to the profession by becoming a CDT Examiner? If you meet the aforementioned qualifications, are willing to commit to being available to administer at least four (4) practical exams throughout the United States per year and don't mind the commitment of time and energy it involves, this might be the right path for you!

Being a CDT Examiner is hard work. It won't cost you a thing (financially), but doesn't pay either. Examiners are passionate volunteers who are not compensated, but are reimbursed for all direct expenses incurred in relation to exam administration travel, lodging, meals, etc. Although unpaid, CDT Examiners do receive CE for each examination they administer. CDT Examiners work long hours on exam administration days and do not receive any public recognition.

Volunteers who serve in this capacity for the NBC truly love what they do and possess an immeasurable amount of dedication to their peers and the profession of dental laboratory technology. The NBC recruits Examiners on an as needed basis and will keep incoming Examiner applications on file until it is determined that new Examiners are needed.

Inspire, Motivate, Elevate. For more information on applying to become a CDT Examiner, please contact certification@nbccert.org or call (800) 684-5310.

Click Here to Download the Application

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